Dark Serenity
by Hedgi
Summary: Slightly AU, One OC. When Matt and Tai are kidnapped, It's up to the others to save them. But what does this have to do with a stolen Prophecy and mysterious letter? And can they prevent a new darkness from rising from the shadows? Takari. R&R please.
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: in my own little world, i own Digimon. Then again, in that same little world, Digimon is real. In this world, i am not so lucky.

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at WRITING a fanfic- I've been creating them for years, but never wrote them out. Please Review, please be nice. also, the Original Character is for now Kari's best friend- they've been friends for years- this is not a fic with random people that are already digidestind-i promise- Pella has never heard of the Digi-world. If i make errors, point them out, please. i will also listen to sugestions- but i do have the ending worked out. There will be a tiny bit of takari- other pairings may show up, but aren't planned at the moment. the reason its AU- I'm setting this slightly after season two- but season two never happend. No Davis, Cody or Yolie, but there will be a digi-egg crest thing. that was your only spoiler.

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Pella giggled, sitting next to her best friend, Kari Kamiya. They were sitting front and center, in a crowded auditorium, waiting for the curtain to rise- and the concert to begin.

Not just any concert- but the debut of a mutual friend, Matt Ishida. Matt had decided he wanted to devote his life to music, and some of the guys at his school had the same plan. Tonight was the big night- their first concert.

Kari's older brother, Tai, stood." I'm gonna see if I can catch Matt, wish him luck. Anyone wanna come?" "You go ahead Tai, we'll wait here." Matt's younger brother, T.K replied. He didn't want to miss any of the concert, as he'd only heard the tail end of some of the songs, and wanted to hear them from the beginning.

Tai made his way slowly down the isle. He wanted to wish his friend luck- and also apologize. The friends had shared some harsh words days earlier, and Tai regretted saying them. He slipped backstage, and knocked on the greenroom door- it swung inward. "Hello?" Tai called. The room was empty._ "Must have just missed him. I'll catch him after the show." _He looked around the room- it was messy, but Matt's new friends were not very neat. That had been part of what they had fought about- Matt spending so much time with his band, ignoring his first friends- the Digidestind. Tai did not see the dark shadow, until it was too late. There was a blinding light, and Tai's world went dark.

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"What's taking him?" Kari muttered to herself. Her brother should be back by now- the show was due to start in only a minute or so. She recalled that he and Matt had had a fight the other day- maybe they were sorting it out themselves._ "I wish they could have done that last time" _she thought, recalling when Matt had tried to, uh, kill Tai in the Digi-world. It hadn't really been his fault, but it had taken Kari's crest of Light to make them cut it out. They had gotten better about fighting, but they still clashed heads from time to time.

"The show should be starting any minute now." T.K. said. Kari looked over at her friend. "Is he as good as he says?"

T.K. laughed. "Almost- I've never heard a whole song- he's pretty secretive about them- but not his talent. We should find out soon enough though." The blonde boy looked at his watch, then double checked. The concert was supposed to have started 5 minutes earlier. What was going on?

A man came onto the stage, and spoke into the microphone. " I am sorry to announce that the show for tonight has been cancelled. Refunds will be handed out at the front doors. We apologize for the inconvenience."

He left as quickly as he had entered.

"Cancelled?" Pella echoed, looking at her friends in confusion. " I wonder why?"

The other shrugged. "I guess we should wait for Tai and Matt here, then." T.K. said, but he glanced worriedly at his wrist watch. One minute passed, then another. Soon, the huge auditorium was empty, and still there was no sign of Tai or Matt.

" I'm going to go look for them- come on!" Kari told her friends. T.K and Pella got to their feet and followed the slight brunette down the same isle Tai had gone down, and entered the green room. Matt's friends were there, looking shaken and confused, but no matter how hard Pella looked, Tai and Matt weren't there.

Kari turned and met T.K.'s eyes with her own, sending a silent message, but what message, Pella did not know. The two turned and fled, Pella at their heels, shouting in vain for Tai and Matt to answer. It was no use- the older brothers weren't in the building. T.K. stopped, panting for air. As if on cue, a faint light shone from his pocket. A light he hadn't seen in four years. The light of a digivice.

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This is only the beginning- it will get better/ more intense later. please R&R!

-Hedgi


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: OK, OK. You caught me. I don't own the glory that is Digimon.

Quick author's note: So, a few quick things to mention. This takes place slightly after what would have been season two, but for the sake of the story, I am postponing season two by about one year. I'm also pretending that no one moved- Mimi is still around, and everyone lives in the same area. Also, the concert in the last chapter was at 11 am Saturday morning, just to clear up confusion- I know it's a strange time for a concert. Sorry.

I will be updating this once a week from now on, more often if I get lots of reviews- and warning, there will be some Mega cliffhangers. Even more than the episodes themselves at times.

Without further adieu, chapter two of Dark Serenity

**Flashback**

"_Are we agreed then?" Sora asked the others. "If the Digi-world ever needs us, we meet right here?" the other seven children nodded._

_They were in a clearing in the woods close to all of their homes, and the sun shone down through the leaves, which were green still despite the fact that August was almost at an end._

"_But how will we know? What if it only calls one of us or something" Joe asked, pointing out the flaws in the plan._

_Izzy stood. "I believe I have hit upon a solution. May I see the digivices, please?" the other children looked at the red-headed computer wiz quizzically, then handed over the small blue devices. Izzy plugged them into the slot on his laptop one by one, and after some typing, he handed them back. "There. I've synchronized them so that when one gets any sort of message, the others will glow as well. That should clear up any problems there might be- unless of course, the Digi-world only wants one, in which case it might override the system and-"he trailed off._

_Satisfied, the digidestind placed their hands on top of Izzy's._

"_We the Digidestined do solemnly swear, if the Digi-world has need of us, we will do our very best to meet in this spot and to do our best to fix the problem and help each other in all things possible."_

**End Flashback.**

T.K. and Kari ran through the woods, to the spot they had stood at and made a pact four years ago. At long last, they reached the clearing- a fallen tree made a bench on one end, but other than that, the clearing was just as it had been years before- bright, green, and bursting with life. Already Sora stood in the center, pacing.

"Kari! T.K!" she called, then noticed they were alone. "Where are Matt and Tai?" she asked, chestnut eyes growing wide.

"We don't know- I think the reason the digivices glowed is connected to-"

"Everyone, I'm here now!" Mimi came, holding her ever-present pink hat. "Honestly, the walk seems longer than before. And I was eating ice cream!" she sank down on the bench/log. Sora continued staring at the younger pair. "Go on." She commanded

"We think the Digi-world calling us has something to do with their disappearance-"

"Who's disappearance? " Joe and Izzy asked at the same time, entering from opposite sides of the glade. Izzy held his constant companion- his laptop- under one arm.

"Tai and Matt." Kari told them. "We went to Matt's concert and-"

"That was today! How did I forget?" Sora chided herself quietly.

"Tai went to talk to Matt-"

"Good. How can we be a team if they are fighting? The first time nearly killed us all" Mimi said melodramatically.

"But Tai never came back." T.K. continued. "A few minutes later the concert was canceled. We went to find them, but they were just gone. Then the digivices went off."

Izzy pondered for all of two seconds. "I'll email Gennai- at least I'll try. I wonder if he's gotten a new account? Hmm- what am I saying? Anyway, he might know something- like if Tai and Matt were sent to the Digital world

"Without us? I don't think that's very likely" Joe said.

" I'll ignore that, Joe. The last thing we need is pessimism" Izzy typed rapidly, muttering to himself

_a minute or so later._

"There. I sent it."

Sora had gone back to pacing

"What could we be missing?" she wondered aloud as the others waited for a reply. "The digivices went off, but they didn't come. Meaning they couldn't, because nothing would keep them from keeping a promise- unless they were in the Digital world or-" she cut her self off, not wanting to think about why else her friend might have not been at the meeting place, but the thought reverberated- '_they could be hurt or dead, hurt or dead hurt or dead_' until- "Sora! Snap out of it!" she felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her. "Sora! Sora- what is it! You're shaking like a leaf!"

Sora shook her head and noticed she had sat down and was huddled against a tree, her friends surrounding her looking worried. "Sorry, I just-"

"It's O.K Sora." T.K. told her, his blue eyes clouded with worry and sadness and fear.

A buzz filled the air; Izzy's laptop signaled a new email.

"Digidestined," Izzy read aloud, "these are dangerous times in the Digi-world. We do indeed need you. This is all I can say now- please come to my home ASAP.

Gennai

Ps- I seem to be out of cookies,- please pick some up .

"Cookies! The Digital world, Matt and Tai are in danger and he wants cookies! I will never understand that guy." Joe proclaimed.

"T.K! Kari!" someone called. "There you are! I need to talk to you- I need to tell you something!" "_Not now!"_ Kari thought.

Pella emerged from the woods, panting. She saw Izzy, Mimi, Sora and Joe. " hi, guys. Club meeting or something? I'm sorry- I didn't mean to interrupt anything" Pella brushed a strand of dark reddish gold hair from her eyes- a startling midnight blue.

" It's fine, Pell." Kari told her friend. "We were talking about Tai, and Matt- where they might be."

"oh." Was all Pella said, curious. " I don't want to disturb you guys- I'll go- maybe they're in one of the buildings by the stage…"

" Pella, wait." T.K. called after her. He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, and scribbled a note on it. "Pella, listen. We have to go- far away. I need you to get this to Matt's- my- dad." He folded the paper over and pressed it into her hand. "Promise me you'll get it to him- and you won't read it. "

"I promise. I swear it. I'll cover for you best I can, if you want, Kari." Pella reached into her pocket, and, while saying goodbye, slipped a sealed letter into Joe's shoulder bag. " thank you, Pell. That means a lot to me."

"well, bye then. I'll get the letter to Matt and your dad, T.K. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you guys- or if- when- you find them." Pella smiled at her friends and left, her heart pounding. Not from running, not from adrenaline or courage or joy that T.K, her crush, had asked entrusted her with a job- but in honest-to-goodness dread. It was happening- her friends were leaving, going far away- they might never come back, she knew in her heart. Just like everyone else.

She ran faster, trying to leave it all be hind.

Joe and Sora returned 15 minutes later with four bulging backpacks. "We got everything we thought we might need." They announced. "Then let's go." Izzy clicked the link Gennai had sent and a blinding light burst from the screen, enveloping the kids, sucking them into the Digital world.

TBC….

Read and review!!!


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: Digimon, Digimon characters, and the concepts of Digimon and Chocolate-chip cookies do not belong to me. But this fic sure does!**

**Author's note:**

**Ok- so first of all quickly clearing up the concert I said it was at night, then in the morning, so for the record it happened in the morning! heh. Also, I'm sorry it's been like, ten days (and that can seem an eternity, I know) since I last posted, even though I promised to update once a week. Just wait until we get to the later chapters. Also- I will be using the English names/episode references if applicable, because I grew up with the American version- whether it's ok or crappy is debatable, but I'm using the dub names! As for the Mimi question- if you watch the episodes, there seem to be two Mimis- one in the real world, who is rather ditsy( at least in the American version) and the awesome only a tiny bit whiny at first Mimi of the Digiworld. They will both be making an appearance, so to speak**

**Without further adieu, chapter two of Dark Serenity**

Izzy opened his eyes, but the Digiworld as he had last seen it- clean air full of the sounds of happy Digimon, orderly and neat, almost glowing- was no where in site. The realm before the children was barren, colored only in greys, browns, blacks and shades in-between. Gone was the river they had known- and Izzy realized with a start that the dry, sandy desert stretching before him was Gennai's lake.

"No. no, no!" it was Sora who cried out, distraught at the destruction of the place where some of her happiest memories had been formed- and worst nightmares destroyed.

"This can't be the Digiworld." Joe muttered, pushing his glasses farther up his nose, looking around in confusion.

Mimi said nothing, but stared at the ground, horrified at the pain so many Digimon must have suffered._ "Why didn't Gennai tell us, so we could prevent this!" _she asked silently.

"Meems, we need to find Gennai- come on." Sora called to the girl. She turned to T.K. and Kari, who were looking about worriedly. "Let's hurry, before whatever did this finds out we're here."

Kari nodded, but was the first to voice the fear each of the six held back. "Where are the Digimon? Where's Gatomon, and Patamon and-"

"Digidestind! Quickly Follow me, these are dangerous times to be out and about!" they turned around. Behind them stood Gennai- still as old looking as ever. He glanced from side to side. "Where are- never mind, not now. There's no time. Hurry," The old man strode away, moving steadily towards the center of the dried lake.

Cautiously, the digidestind followed him, through the sandy landscape and into a small house. As soon as they had all entered, Gennai muttered something, and a dome shaped, glowing shield formed over the house.

"Now, tell me." The old sage stated once the teens were seated on the mats of the floor. "Where are the others, Matt and Tai?"

"You mean they aren't here with you?" T.K spoke for the first time since entering the strange, new Digital world. Gennai's eyes widened. "What do you mean, with me? I haven't seen them since the Eclipse" he began muttering to himself "It must have something to do with _mumble_ how could this have happened?"

"What's going on, Gennai?" Izzy asked, pulling his laptop from its case. [**A/N: yes- the laptop came too- isn't life just magical?**]

"Well, a few days ago, I returned from visiting Primary village. I discovered that my Prophecy room had been ransacked-"

"You have a Prophecy room? Why am I not surprised?" Joe noted.

"Yes- please don't interrupt. As I was saying, I found it ransacked- a few scrolls, and notes were missing the next day, the destruction began."

"Kari?" peeped a small voice. The head of a white, feline Digimon poked out from behind the door of the back room.

"Gatomon!" Kari embraced her friend.

"Oh, yes. Many Digimon- including your partners- have taken refuge here- the only safe place in the entire Digital world. They ate all of my cookies- speaking of which…"

" right." Mimi couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face. Sora reached into Joe's back and pulled out a sack of Chocolate chip cookies- and an envelope. Puzzled, she handed Gennai the bag, and turned the envelope over

_Give to Tai or Matt after this is all over._

Was written in smudged ink. Sora tucked the letter into her pocket, but didn't think about it any more, because she was too busy hugging Biyomon, who rushed her. "SoraSoraSoraSoraSora!"

"Biyomon! It's so good to se you again."

"Where's Tai?" Agumon asked, caning the room for his bushy haired friend.

"And Matt?" Gabumon looked at the others, confused. "My, you've gotten tall, T.K. But where are-"

"Gone," T.K turned to stare out the window that had once looked into a lake teeming with fish. "They vanished. We don't know what's happened or where they are, or even if they're even alive." The young boy's eyes were watery, and a tear trailed down one cheek. Kari, still holding Gatomon, got to her feet. She gave T.K. a one armed hug. "It'll be ok. We'll find them. We have to believe we can." T.K. nodded, returning the embrace. "You're right," he continued to stare out the window. "_I'll find you, Matt. I Promise."_

"What's the plan?" he asked, as Patamon circled his head, finally landing on his new hat.

Izzy was quietly typing in the corner, Tentomon looking over his shoulder. "Izzy, do you know how good it is to hear the Click Clack of computer keys? Do you?'

"I can imagine and… there!" Izzy pressed a final key on the screen, a map appeared. In a small, yellow-brown area near the center, six dots blinked- one silver, gold, pink, light green, red, and purple. In the right-hand corner, two more lights flashed- orange and blue.

"Prodigious! Hey, guys! I've got a map- coordinates! We can find them!" he looked closer- and realize the dots weren't moving- meaning that Tai and Matt weren't journeying to Gennai's or any of the other spots they had agreed on, after Tai's little vacation home, to meet incase they were ever separated in the Digi-world tai had gone home via strange portal, but no one else had known, and everyone split up to look. It had nearly been the end of everything- but Sora had kept everyone out of too much trouble, and thus was ultimately responsible for bringing every one back together. After that, several meeting places had been decided upon, but none in the corner where Tai and Matt blinked.

"How far is it from here to there, Gennai?" Joe asked after looking closely at the map, "and, more importantly, how long will it take to get there?"

"Not too long- three or four days at most if you go by foot, as you should- no sense attracting unwanted attention. As I said, these are dangerous times The Prophecy that was stolen- I was in the middle of translating it. Alas- all I got was a name- or really, a title- "One of the Void." According to Digiworld mythology, he is a great demon who is what is nothing pure. That is the extent of my knowledge, I'm afraid."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" T.K. and Sora said in unison.

"Mimi looked disheartened at the prospect of more walking, but brightened. She was transitioning, back into the Mimi she had been four years ago- it was difficult after so long. "Is there anything else we should know?" Palmon asked Gennai.

"I can tell you nothing more. Be cautious. Be careful. Be ready." Gennai nodded at each of the digidestind.

"Let's go, then," Joe opened the door, as Izzy slipped the laptop into the case, and the others shouldered their packs. The Digimon bid farewell to friends remaining behind, then followed quickly, through the dried lack bed and barren landscape, North, towards the place on Izzy's map, where two tiny lights blinked, orange and blue, blue and orange, unmoving.

**Thanks for reading- I will be posting next week on Saturday, and that is a promise. Mostly cause it's written already but not typed. **

**Also, I don't know about you, but Gennai having a room devoted to Prophecies is totally plausible in my mind, so I'm going with it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter (in about two chaps, it will get really good. Next chapter is the journey, part one.**

**Review for gratitude and a piece of digital fudge.**

**Hedgi.**


	4. Chapter Three

*****MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY OTHER COOL HOLIDAYS!*****

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, Cheese crackers, PB&J sandwiches, Granola bars or Ramen. In fact, I don't own much of anything. But I own this story, and I will defend that right with pillows, Christmas trees and swords made from wood and foam- don't think i won't!  
**

**Author's note: You are all lucky that you will be getting so many chapters in quick succession. Please, please, read and review. And then pester friends into reading and reviewing. That would be the best Christmas gift ever. please?  
**

**From now on, I do my review replies here.**

**PrincessJaded: the letter contains a secret. Matt and Tai are in the northern corner of the Digiworld, in a gray area. Someone/thing stole the prophecies. It may or may not be a trap. And I'm pleased that you are happy with my portrayal of Meems.**

**Dawn: yes, here is your fudge. *smile* I'm glad you like the chapter**

**Digidestend Of Balance: wait and see. And I started writing this solely for a chapter that is yet in coming- I will be continuing, on my honor as a digifreak.**

**So, without further adieu, chapter 3 of Dark Serenity.**

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"It's so hot out," Mimi complained.

"I've got to agree." Sora said, panting. "It's boiling out." She took a drink from her nearly empty water bottle.

Kari and T.K. returned from a scouting trip. "There's forest coming up just over that rise!" T.K. announced. "There's even a river, we can cool off!" Patamon chimed in with glee.

Gatomon sniffed. "What is it with you humans and water? Drinking it is fine- milk's better- but SWIMMING?"

"Oh, Gatomon!" Kari laughed. She chided herself sharply. _"H_ow_ can I laugh when Tai's missing...?"_

Half an hour later, they reached the safety of the trees, Joe pulled out his first aid kit and treated the blisters on everyone's feet- they had walked for ages- the rest of the day they had spoken with Gennai, half of that night, and into the afternoon of this day, and were barely halfway to their destination. But for now, exhaustion, and hunger had caused them to consent to a two hour rest.

Izzy, as it turned out, was a fair cook- when it came to Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, instant ramen, and cheese spread crackers. Most of the food that Joe and Sora had bought was junkie- things that wouldn't spoil or need much preparation- things like cookies, ramen, and granola bars. So, meals, if not as healthy as they ought to be, were simple.

T.K. found his mind drifting back through the years to the battle that had been hardest for him- the battle with Piedmon. Without the Faith of his brother, T.K. knew he wouldn't have been able to make his crest glow- and the worlds would have been without Light and Hope. He had needed Matt, and now Matt needed him. He would be strong- he would do what he had to. He would make his brother proud. T.K. leaned against a tree, lost in the memories.

"You ok?" Kari sat down next to him T.K. blew out the air in his lungs. "I guess. I'm worried. I wish I knew if they were ok or if they're…" he trailed off. Kari placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know. But Izzy says that if we go at this rate, we'll be there in less than 3 days- that's better than the last time we had to cross the Digi-world."

"Less than that, really, now that we are in the trees- we can keep moving without scouting trips" Joe walked up, cleaning his glasses. "Gomamon's fish friends are going to do it for us- and it will be easier to go undetected in the cover of the trees."

"Come on, there's someone you need to meet!" Gomamon piped up.

Kari and T.K. followed the older boy. In the clearing where the packs were laid down, a small Digimon, a fox looking thing, with midnight blue fun sat, quivering. "I'm Ziyamon, the Fox cub Digimon. I may be small, but I'm quick and my Thunder Fang can pack a punch. I heard you were here from the fish. I have information for you. Four days ago, the terror struck. It came like a shadow, destroying much- deleting Digimon left and right. I hid. It was moving South and west, quickly. It returned yesterday- I hid again, along with others. But I found this on the ground in its wake. It was heading back the way it came- northeast." Ziyamon reached into a pouch slung over her back like a saddlebag- and pulled out a pair of goggles. Tai's goggles. Kari took them gingerly- the strap was broken and one of the lenses was cracked. She hugged them to her chest, trying to imagine her brother without them, and she found she couldn't. T.K. wrapped his arms around her, and she realized she was crying.

"Do you know what-who- did this, Ziyamon?" sora asked gently, kneeling down to look the quavering creature in the eye.

" Voidmon- they call it Voidmon. That's all I know." She whispered, curling her fluffy tail over her face.

"Voidmon!" Agumon cried. "I thought he was only a myth- a nightmare."

"One of the Void-"

"Gennai's Prophecy-"

"It must mean something-"

"They must be connected!"

Tentomon, Gomamon and Palmon hit upon the same conclusion, talking over one another

Mimi looked to the North. "So this Voidmon is the one that took them. This is really bad." She looked as if she was going to cry, but instead bit her lip. " If we've got to fight, let's make it count. This Mon has messed with the wrong group of friends." She glanced at her friends, who all nodded. "Right. We'll make him wish he'd never even heard of the Digidestind!" Sora proclaimed, punching the air with a pink gloved hand. Izzy brought up the map on his laptop.

"Ziyamon, would you say that this seemed to be his destination?" he pointed at the place where the orange and blue lights still blinked.

" yes, that seems right. You aren't going there, are you?" her eyes widened.

" We are. The Goggles you found belong to a friend of ours, and we can't abandon him. " Izzy looked at the little Digimon. She had come forward with information, and was now trying to discourage them. Why was that? He felt a chill down his neck and spine. She was warning them.

"Then I'm coming with you. I know how to find and never be found. I can help you."

"Thank you" Kari said. "Welcome aboard.

"Let's go. We should get as much travel done before sundown now that we've rested." Joe pointed skyward. "I say we've got another hour or two."

After only one hour, Mimi tripped and fell. She got up, and it was clear she was in pain. "I'm fine!" she snapped. "We've got to hurry to get to the boys. They could be hurt worse than me." Gingerly, she put her weight on the leg in question, gritted her teeth, and continued walking

"Mimi, are you sure?" Palmon asked

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Meems, Joe should look at it. " Izzy said tentatively.

"I said, I'm fine. I can handle it."

And for a time she could, but just before the sun set, she collapsed,

Joe knelt down and delicately removed her shoe and sock- she did not protest.

"A sprain. You made it worse by walking on it, but it should be fine, by the day after tomorrow at the latest. But for now, no more walking!

He and T.K. carried her over to the river in the fashion they'd been taught during first aid at summer camp. Joe commanded her in his best stern doctor voice, to keep her foot in the river to help the swelling. Grudgingly she did. The water was cold!

The others made camp, and as Sora worked, Kari and Gatomon came up to her.

"Do you think they're ok?" Kari asked, needing reassurance. The broken goggles had frightened her greatly.

Sora saw the troubled took in the younger girl's crimson eyes.

" Oh, Kari. I'm sure they are fine. I'd just Know if they weren't- we all would. We all share that bond." She sighed. She was not sure herself, but she had to comfort her friend. " Clo9se your eyes. Search for them with your heart. Can't you feel it? The warmth and love? They'll be ok, and so will we." Sora smiled. _"I hope."_ She added in her mind.

Kari rolled out sleeping bags and found some wood for a fire- soon the kids were seated around a blaze, eating Ramen noodles and camping lasagna**[ A/N: that stuff is so good when you are camping, by the way**] It tasted like pure heaven. At last the food was eaten and the boys stretched out on their side of the campfire, the girls on the other. They said there prayers, or simply stared at the sky and wished

Ziyamon curled up in the shadows where the fire did not reach, shivering..

"Ziyamon- why are you all the way over there?" Kari asked softly. "Come get warm over here."

"You mean it?" she asked. The tiny creature seemed shocked.

"Of course- you're one of us now, part of the team." Mimi beckoned. The digimon cuddled up next to Palmon and Gatomon, and breathed a peaceful sigh.

Sora stared at the sky. "Everything will be alright," she said to the stars.

But Ziyamon knew that as long as she traveled with her new friends, and as long as they journeyed to the Gray Region, the Northern Waste, nothing would ever be alright. Nothing could ever be alright again. Never…….

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**I hope this was as much fun for you all to read as it was for me to write. If I write it, chapter four will be out on Saturday- if not sometime next week. What do you think? I love Ziyamon- her name means 'pure'mon. She is quite important, so I hope you all like her. **

**Here is me wishing you all a safe and joyful holidays- please, please review. I will give you digital fudge AND digital toffee, as well as Peppermint flavored Hot cocoa. Digital, of course. **

**But really, I gave you the chapter, so review and tell me what you liked/didn't like.**

**Big smile with a Santa hat.**


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I don't own digimon or its setting or characters. If I did, I'd skip the disclaimer and get on with the story already. BUT- Ziyamon, any and all of her digivolutions, Voidmon , any of his henchmen you don't recognize and Pella- who has a bit in the next chapter- all belong to me, me and only me. Unless someone wants to buy them. I take cash and cookies, J/K.**

**Thanks to the reviewers:**

**PrincessJaded: Sora isn't going to open the letter, as it isn't addressed to her and opening other ppl's mail is a crime : ) I'm glad you loved the chapter. I hope you love the next ones too.**

**Twilight in Rain: thanks for the tip- I'll keep it in mind from now on. Here's the chapter!**

**DigiDestined of Balance: I'm updating, I'm updating! I'm glad you like Ziyamon- she's based of the little gray fox that was in my yard last week.**

**Authors note: I hope everyone had a happy holidays. *: )  
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**Without further adieu, chapter four of Dark Serenity.**

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Kari awoke as the pale light of dawn silently moved through the trees. She lay there, staring up at the leafy tree tops, wondering.

"_In this world of gray and brown, how is it that this bit of woods- green and gold and alive- survived? Are there digimon within the trees, hiding like Ziyamon? Or are they all gone? Is Tai ok? Is Matt? What happened to them? What did that prophecy of Gennai's say?"_

But mostly, the question of how her brother was pounded in her head. She closed her eyes, like Sora had suggested, and searched- searched for the fiery courage that was her older brother. She sent the thoughts flying, as if they were birds that could speak to his mind, and felt _something_. A warm shroud of comfort surrounding her, enveloping her and she could feel his love, plain as the pink light warming to yellow in the sky above her. He was alive, and that was all Kari needed to know. She opened her eyes, and felt a smile grace her face as she remembered all the nights she had spent in the Digital world in forests like this one. It was good to be back, no matter the awful reason.

She rolled over. Sora was on one side, snoring, and Mimi on the other, her injured foot sticking out of the hole between the sleeping bag's zippers. Between Kari and Mimi were the digimon- Palmon, Ziyamon and Gatomon, making content sleep noises. One of Ziyamon's ears was pricked up comically, and Gatomon twitched in her sleep. Both digimon woke as Kari giggled.

"Kari, what's so funny." Gatomon yawned.

"Gatomon, what were you dreaming about?" Kari teased.

The feline digimon blushed the color of Mimi's hat.

"That's none of your concern." The cat like creature looked at her paws, as Ziyamon let out a playful growl. "If you must know, I was errmm- like I said, none of your concern."

Slowly, the others began to wake. After a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal and hot chocolate- something Ziyamon found she enjoyed quiet a lot- they performed the daily ritual of checking the map. The lights had not moved. Izzy clicked a few keys, and tried to zoom in on the location- an idea he had gotten during the night. Nothing worked, so they packed up the sleeping bags. They were about to set off- when they remembered the dilemma. Mimi's foot would still be tender, the way to the Gray Region was only going to get harder- and there was no way that she could carry a pack- it was too much weight, even with most of the food eaten. Mimi insisted that she could walk just fine, but the swelling hadn't gone down, and she could hardly limp along a few feet.

"I can digivolve," Palmon said, "and carry her."

"But Gennai warned us not to attract any attention for as long as possible- a 12 foot cactus along with a bunch of kids and digimon is much more conspicuous than a bunch of kids and digimon WITHOUT a 12 foot cactus." Joe argued. Everyone had to agree that he was right- but there was no way that any of the kids could support her- their own packs were bulky and heavy. And they couldn't take the risk of leaving her behind- an idea Mimi vehemently shouted down anyway – because who knew what they would be up against?

"We'll figure something out." Sora tried to brighten the mood. "We've just got to think."

"We could…no."

"How about- nah…"

"OH! No, wait…"

They pondered for a few minutes, while Gomamon and his fish pals scouted ahead.

"I guess, if we want to travel today, we'll HAVE to draw attention to ourselves." T.K. finally threw up his hands.

"Oh, Ok." Joe reluctantly agreed. "Let's wait for Gomamon to get back here with his report and-"

" JOE!!!!!!!" Gomamon came on a raft of fish down the river at top speed. "RUN!!!!"

A digimon the size of a Tyranamon, gray and black, looking like a huge dragon, was just behind him, trampling trees in its wake. As the digidestind braced themselves,

Izzy's computer piped up." That's Geddonmon, the dark dragon digimon. Be careful of his evil temperament and Ending Blast- it sucks the life out of helpless digimon!"

"You ready?" Kari, Sora and Mimi looked at their digimon, who nodded quickly.

"**Gatomon digivolve to Angewomon!"**

"**Palmon digivolve to Togemon! Togemon digivolve to Lillymon!"**

"**Biyomon digivolve to Birdramon! Birdramon digivolve to Garudamon!"**

The boys nodded at their partners. "Go for it!"

"**Tentomon digivolve to ****Kabuterimon****. ****Kabuterimon**** digivolve to MegaKabuterimon!"**

"**Gomamon digivolve to ****Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon ****digivolve to Zudomon!"**

"**Patamon digivolve to Angemon! Angemon digivolve to MagnaAngemon!"**

As powerful as Geddonmon was, he was no match for the Digimon ready to do anything to protect their friends. He sent his Ending Blasts at them, but MagnaAngemon had little trouble neutralizing the deadly blasts. As one, they sent there power into Angewomon's Heaven charm, and she shot a single beam of light into the center of the dark dragon, instantly destroying him.

"Well." Mimi said slowly, after her ears had stopped ringing. "That was loud."

T.K. elbowed Joe. "What about a bunch of kids, a giant cactus, right after _that_, as apposed to just the cactus and kids?"

They burst out laughing, even Joe. The digimon, energy spent, de-digivolved, all but Togemon, who hoisted Mimi and several packs to sit on her shoulder. And with that, the digidestind set off as quickly as they could. Not noticing as Ziyamon slipped out of the shadows to rejoin them. They had never noticed she was gone at all, nor that she was trembling all over, fur on end, or that her eyes were still filled with fear, fear instilled not by the terrible monster that had attacked, but at the glorious power of the Digimon she now traveled with.

They walked for what seemed to be hours, until the trees ended. After a last minute stop to fill canteens and water bottles, they continued in the gray, barren desert, constantly alert, cringing at the slightest sound. A noise rang through the air, causing the children to jump- Izzy's laptop buzzed with news of an incoming email. It was not from Gennai.

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**I realize that that was probably the crappiest, worst fight in all of digimon history, but I really stink at the battles. Sorry. I hope that you still like the chapter. **

**Yes- I admit it- I borrowed a few phrases from Chris Heimerdinger's novels. I used one in this chapter- if you can find it, I'll be totally impressed. And publicly say you rock. I'll also do that if you review!**

**Did you like the cliffhanger? It's not nearly as awesome as the one coming up in two or three chapters. : )  
**

**Read and review!**


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: Digimon has never been, isn't now, and never will be my property. I'm simply borrowing the characters and setting. ****Healer's Keep**** belongs to Victoria Hanley. I do not own granola bars, dried fruit, hot chocolate. Zarahemla belongs to the Nephites, no matter what the Lamenites say.**

**Note from the author: Thanks for reviewing; it means a lot to me. I've planed out the rest of the story, so expect 14 chapters total (counting pro/epilogue) and, as usual, plan for some huge cliffies! Also- I just realized that Agumon and Gabumon haven't been mentioned since Gennai's! never fear, although they aren't in this chapter, they ARE with the others on the quest, heh.**

**Review replies:**

**PrincessJaded: thanks- I AM going to work on it so that the next battle will be good. Joe isn't quite the 'leader' but as he is the oldest, and most responsible, so he's the acting leader for a bit. But sora and Izzy and yes even Mimi are all ready to act should they be needed. Ziyamon gets all the hot cocoa she needs- but she's naturally a terrified being. Voidmon has done NOTHING, repeat NOTHING to her. And Ziyamon isn't going to be Pella's partner I'm afraid. Remember, Pella's never even _heard_ of digimon.**

**Dawn: T.K.'s poking fun at Joe, as Tai isn't there to do it. He's pointing out that there isn't any point in hiding, because if anyone was looking for them- that fight( it was quite loud/bright) would have alerted them more than Togemon would have/will.**

**Digidestind of Balance: thanks : ) Gatomon says to tell you than it isn't any of your concern. She won't even tell me! My guess is that it had to do with a certain batpig. Ow!- she clawed me- i think i'm right.  
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**And now, without further adieu, chapter Five of Dark Serenity **

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"What does it say?"

"Who's it from?"

"Well?"

The digidestind clamored, peering over Izzy's shoulder to read the strange email.

He shoed them away, and read aloud:

"_Hey everyone,_

_Uh, listen. I was able to cover for you all until yesterday mourning- I said it was a school event, preparing for the spring play/festival. They all bought it- except your and Matt's dad, T.K.- I got him that note and he looked at me funny- then he left to call someone- anyway, apparently, you and matt are on a camping trip for a few more days, so- anyway, yesterday, the rest or your parents and the police were calling and asking if I knew were you were- I truthfully said I hadn't the slightest idea. So everyone is looking for you, and I can't step out side without seeing a poster. You were on the news last night._

_Where are you? Have you found Matt and Tai yet? Please tell me what's going on, I'm going insane with worry. I mean, you guys just vanished of the face of the earth, and it's just a tad scary. Where did you go- Oz? The land east of the sun, west of the moon? Zarahemla? Fairy-tale's and fantasy stories are making more sense than all this! I wonder if you're even able to get this, read this- but Izzy's with you, and he could get an email under water. Please, fill me in, let me know if there is anything I can do for you and your quest, because I want you to come home soon. Don't get yourselves killed or anything. Sorry, I'm getting paranoid. The thing is, last night, I had a freaky dream- induced by all the questions and worry, I'm sure, but.._

_You guys were in a desert- just like Morlen's vahss center in __Healer's Keep - __Kari, you remember that book, right? Well, it was like that, and so creepy- there was a huge castle and you all went in, but never came out- you know how in dreams, you just Know things? It was like that. I know that dreams don't mean anything, but…well, I'm pretty scared that I'll never see you again so Please, please…tell me what I can do, and be careful. I'd send my guardian angel to help yours, if I had one._

_I miss you all. Come back soon and safe and sound, before all of us back home lose our minds with all this fear._

_Your friend,_

_Pella Ellowen_

"I feel kinda bad for not telling her what was going on. She is my best friend, aside from you guys. But I don't think she'd believe it, after all, she wasn't around when Myotismon attacked…" Kari mused.

"Uh huh." Joe was re-reading the part about Pella's dream, and looking at the desert around them. "Kari- this Healer's Keep- what was the setting for Morlen's whatever center?"

"I read it ages ago- but it was devoid of life, even though the forest and ocean were only a few miles away, and-"

"Then maybe Pella… I don't know, SAW something, cause that sounds and awful lot like this place." Joe wiped his glasses on his shirt.

"Why, Joe! I never pegged you to be one to believe in Psychic visions," Mimi teased- but she was wondering now if Joe had good reason- he studied those doctor books, right?

Sora shook her head. "No way. I read it last month for English class- it was either Keep of that _thing_ they call a book, Twilight- and while everything you said is true, Kari, Morlen's desert was orange, not grey. Pella's probably just freaking out like everyone else back home." She sighed. "Maybe we should have just told our parents."

"My mom would have locked me in my room!" Mimi proclaimed. "After what happened with Myotismon, she wanted to move to America, or Canada, or Scotland or someplace far away- dad talked her out of it, thank goodness!"

"Dad would have grounded me. I was supposed to take a test this morning." Joe added solemnly. Stupid math…..

"My parents don't even know about the digimon!" Kari whispered. "Tai thought it should be secret, or Mom would want to move, like Mimi's mom."

"Ok, so we've agreed that telling our parents might not have been best- but we can't change the past. What do we tell Pella, in that case?" Izzy's hands rested on the keyboard, ready to type a response.

They debated for a while about what to say- but as they were in the open, they quickly agreed.

"_Pella,_

_Thanks for everything you've done. Just keep up the act of not knowing where we are- you don't anyway, so it's not as though you need to lie. We haven't found them yet, but it won't be long now. We'd like to tell you everything, but it us safer if you don't know. don't worry about us, we'll be ok. We know what we've gotten ourselves into, so trust us. We should be back within the week, and all the craziness will be dealt with. For now, there isn't anything you can do aside from pray and wish for the best. It's good to know we can trust you, and if we need anything, we promise to let you know. We know this must be frustrating, but believe us, everything'll be fine, you don't need to freak out. Sorry for scaring everyone, but we won't be gone much longer. Your dream was just ad ream- it sounded as though you need reassurance. We haven't gone to Oz, or Zarahemlan(?)We'll explain it all when we get back, promise. Don't give up._

_Miss you, and see you soon, your friends,_

_Izzy, Kari, Joe, Mimi, Sora and T.K." _

"Does this wok for everyone?" Izzy's fingers almost ached from deleting and re-typing.

"Sure."

"Works for me."

"Not very informative, but reassuring- I like it."

"Why is your name first?"

Ignoring the last question, Izzy clicked 'Send."

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The group walked for a long time, and after a quick snack (more Hot Chocolate from Ziyamon, granola bars and dried fruit for the rest) Biyomon and Tentomon digivovled to carry the rest of the packs, so that everyone could go much faster, but still conserve energy for the inevitable battle with Voidmon.

Ziyamon walked alongside Gatomon, chatting amiably about life in the wilderness of Joktanmon- an area they had lived in, at separate times. In the spans of time, through the Dark Masters, Etemon, and Myotismon; that land- the forest being the center of it-had remained unchanged.

"Perhaps because you, the digimon of Light, resided there," Ziyamon said softly. "Or because of another reason yet unknown. It is the only place in all of the Digi-world that remains unaffected by darkness and evil."

Gatomon nodded, lost in thought.

When the sun finally set, turning the sky ruby, amber and gold, everyone was too exhausted to do anything more than roll out sleeping bags, start a small fire, and collapse into the world of dreams, unaware that the next day would bring so much more than could fill even the worst nightmares.

TBC…

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**And here chapter five ends. I hope you all liked it. Please read and review. I'll post the next chapter (six) on Saturday the tenth, and as a treat to you, you'll get seven on my birthday, the thirteenth. So, as usual, read and review. Please. I know this chapter could have been better, but I've had a long week, trying to memorize a long speech from '****The Goose Girl'****. Speaking of books- ****Healer's Keep**** is quite real, and I urge you to read it.**

**In each chapter from now on, I will place references to books( not counting titles) if you can find them, you get a chapter dedicated to you! It might be a title, a name, a sentence , or phrase. I will put the title of the book down here- you just need to find what I'm using. :) there are some in this chapter( not counting the 'Morlen's vahss center' stuff) luck!**

**If anyone would like to submit a design for Voidmon, they are very welcome- PM me.**

**Read and review for…digital candy. I'm too busy to bake.**

**SMILES**


	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: I forget who owns digimon, but it sure isn't me. I don't own THE GOOSE GIRL, either. Hint, think 'Kari' I also don't own the Fairy Rebel. No hint. Find the sentences!**

**PrincessJaded: yeah, I didn't really like Twilight much- my first encounter with it was an obsessed friend shoving me to the floor at 6 am, screaming 'I saved your life, Edward…' here's the chapter! Enjoy.**

**Amaramichelle: I'm glad you like the story- as for your question about Ziyamon- you'll see…( my fave phrase ever)**

**A/N: this is going to be a tad longer than most of my other chapters…and it will be my last chapter as a 15 year old- woot! so wish me a happy sweet sixteen with reviews, and i'll give you the next chapter quick!  
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**Without further adieu, chapter Six of Dark Serenity.**

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"Hey, guys, guys! You've _got _to see this!" Agumon and Gabumon came running, with Sora and T.K.– who insisted on being a part of any and all scouting missions- right behind. This particular trip had proved, at long last, successful. After a days walk, beyond a ridge of high, gray stone where the rest of the digidestind and digimon waited, a castle made of some kind of ancient, dark stone, loomed forebodingly against the foggy, pearly gray sky. And, according to Izzy's all-knowing map, it was the very place where Matt and Tai were. Since the computer didn't quiet offer zoom in options, they had to assume that the boys were indeed in the castle, though they might be anywhere within four hundred yards of the stone monstrosity.

The question was- not who lived in said evil-looking and creepy castle- Voidmon obviously- but the obvious question that no one dared to ask. Were they too late? After so many days, was it possible that the journey was futile?

"Well, now what?" ask Mimi, as she ducked back behind the outcropping.

"Well, we need to formulate a plan. We can't just charge in there and-" Joe began.

"And why not? My brother's in there- something's holding him prisoner, and you want to sit around and talk?" T.K. demanded, clenching his fists.

"T.K., calm down," Kari placed a hand on his shoulder. "Joe's right. I want to race in there and find them as much as you do, but we can't. We need a plan. It won't do Matt or Tai any good if we get caught."

The blond took a deep breath, then another and a third.

"Sorry, Joe. You're right, Kari. It's just- I can't bear the thought of…" he trailed off.

"I understand," Joe nodded. "Now, what should we do?" he shot a glance at sora, who mused aloud. "Well, I vote we slip inside quietly, not make a scene. Once we get in, we just search until we find them. Try to avoid a battle at all costs."

"Sora's right. If we get caught at this point, we're… what's the saying you use?" Biyomon looked at Sora questioningly. "Toast, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. And true too." The auburn haired girl swept the circle with her eyes.

"Or," Izzy noted, "we could slip inside the castle silently, half of us hide, the others makes a commotion. The guards or whoever finds them, and, in capturing them, effectively leads those hidden to wherever Tai and Matt are being held. It's risky, but either way works, although I'm inclined to believe that Sora's method of infiltration and rescue has a higher probability of working than our other option."

Gatomon stared at the red-head, confused (like nearly everyone else.)

"Say that like I'm on my first life, please." She requested.

"Sora's plan's better." The boy clarified, grinning sheepishly.

"Ok, Sora's plan it is. Let's do this!" Mimi said enthusiastically. Though she was generally a peaceful girl, the fact that her friends had been taken, and possibly injured, as evident from Tai's goggles, had changed her views, at least for this time. She was ready and eager to kick some bad guy butt. T.K. and Kari nodded solemnly, agreeing. This was it.

"Uh, hey. Where's Ziyamon?" Palmon asked suddenly.

" I thought she went scouting with Gabumon and Agumon." Gomamon replied, looking from side to side. "She's got to be around here someplace- there isn't much in the line of hiding places around here." He looked underneath a soccer-ball sized stone. Patamon flew into the air and did a 360, but didn't see the dark cerulean of her fur anywhere in the gray landscape.

Kari shivered. "There's evil here, I can feel it." She said softly, hugging herself.

"It feels... like that pit I fell in during the reign of the Dark Masters" Sora nodded, remembering the feelings of despair, uselessness and loneliness that had nearly crushed her- before Matt had come, and shaken her from its spell.

"I can't feel a thing." Joe shoved his glasses higher up his nose

"Me either," Izzy shook his head. "The three of you must be hyper-sensitive- because of your crests, I'd bet.

"This is kinda creepy- I can feel it, a little, I think. Like when I, uh, was the princess of all those poor digimon who only wanted my help- agg, I feel so awful." She looked down in shame, and shifted her weight- the swelling on her ankle had gone down considerably, to the point of near non-existence, and she no longer felt any pain, though her leg was a bit weak from not using it after misusing it.

"Curios." Was all Izzy said, as he made up the rest of the ramen and freeze dried food- saving the granola bars for if they found Matt and Tai. _"Not if, when." _He corrected himself. This was no time for doubts. No time for anything except hope and being positive.

"Eat up- we need all the strength we can get if we have to fight, and that's inevitable. " He called as he dished out the hot food.

As the digimon devoured their portions, the children poked at half eaten servings, far to nervous to eat.

"Do you think Voidmon took Ziyamon?" T.K. asked Kari.

"I don't know. But… probably." the young girl lifted her hand to her throat, where the Crest of Light had once hung, before it was destroyed by Apoclamon. Although she knew the Light of the Digital world was within her all along, not in a pink necklace, she missed holding something real in her hands, like a measure of her worth. "It doesn't matter." She continued. "Because either way, he took Tai, he's going down." She glared in the direction of the castle, scarlet eyes edged with steel.

T.K. took her hand in his. "Exactly. He's toast." The youth too, glared in the direction of the dark castle, eyes like ice. If Ziyamon is in the castle, she may be with matt and Tai. Since we're going with Sora's Tactic, we ought to decide where we're going to search first."

"The tower." Sora said quickly.

"What about a basement?" Mimi asked.

"That floor without any windows!" Gabumon suggested.

"None of the floors had any windows, but the towers." Agumon pointed out.

"Oh- then I'm with Mimi. The basement. All evil castles have basement dungeons, right? Comes with the package."

"I've got to agree with Sora on this one." Joe said. "I get claustrophobic. But the towers are pretty high. Oh, I knew I should have taken that 'get-over-your-fears' class at the Y!

"We could get to the tower windows pretty easily- all I'd take is a bit of digivolving." Gatomon finished her chicken Ramen with an unladylike burp, and stood by Kari.

"Whatever we do, let's hurry. I'm getting a bad feeling, just sitting 'round here." Patamon fluttered off the ground in anxiety.

"The towers, then? Probably easier to get into then the main entrance and less heavily guarded anyway," Izzy asked, packing the laptop into its case.

"Ok, I'm with you." Mimi consented. If Izzy thought it was better, she wasn't going to argue.

They abandoned the packs- no point in carrying them, as they would only impede the progress. As it was, it took only 15 minutes to reach the dark stone structure. It was massive, constructed of a stone not quiet grey, not quiet black, and at least 5 stories high, counting the tower. Biyomon flew silently to the top and peaked in a window. Returning quickly, she shook her head- it was very heavily guarded, dozens of Bakamon and other vicious digimon. "But I over heard that one of them thinks that 'It's pointless to have all of us up here, with no one guarding the door' another insisted that 'they're too smart to just use the front door.' I think he meant us!"

"The door's unguarded? I don't know if that's luck or not," Joe said. "Do we risk it?"

"What else can we do?" Kari stared at the iron doors. They were so huge! She noticed something then. The hinges indicated…the doors opened inward. It they could just…

"Well, what are you waiting for? Help me!" she put her shoulder against one door, pushing with all her might. The others did the same, and with a _CREAK! _The doors swung open. Not a digimon in sight. It was very, very dark.

"Pepper breath!" Agumon sent a burst of fire at the wall- it hit a torch in a bracket. Sora removed it from it's sconce, and found several more. Lighting them, she passed one to each of the humans.

The empty hallways were eerily quiet and each footstep seemed to echo as loudly as an avalanche. The light grew brighter and brighter, until they reached an archway. Passing under it, rounding a corner, and another, they found themselves in a room.

Lit with over a dozen flickering torches, two shapes were easily recognizable. They were gaunt and pale, faces cast into shadow, but they were unmistakably the two that the group of searchers had crossed deserts and forests to find: Matt and Tai.

"Tai! Matt!" they cried, caution to the wind, rushing to free their friends from the chains that connected them to the rock wall. Tai lifted his head, eyes wide with panic. "No! leave!. Get out of here-"

"Before it's too late!" Matt finished, his own eyes displaying joy at seeing his friends, and fear.

The six digidestind and the digimon stopped, looking uncertainly at their leader and second in command.

"Just go!" they cried together, as footsteps approached. "Before It's-

A silky voice from behind announced gleefully, the words ringing like crystal bells in the room filled with shadows. "Too late."

TBC......

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**Oh, yes, I am EVIL! evil, evil, evil. ?But if you think this is evil, just you wait! Don't worry, i know exactly where i'm going with this( i had to pull over and ask directions from my Plot bunnies, but hey) and I'm sorry if the chapter's lame- i wrote it in 2 days, rather than over a week. So anyway , be patient- you get chapter 7 in 3 days. That's better than seven days, right? So, read and review- find the references. I mean it, find the references. And if you read, review. It really does wonders for my self esteem. I get really, really happy. That's about it. But it really makes my day to see reviews. thanks to my loyal readers! I'll see you all in chapter seven of Dark Serenity.**

**-H**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: How cool would it be if I owned digimon? I'm not sure. How cool is it that I own this story? Let me know! I don't own any stories I reference.**

**Note from author: thanks for all the kind words. I had a lovely birthday. I'm sorry this is late, but my plot bunnies were taking the weekend off, so I didn't get any writing done. Enjoy. Again, the Mini battle in this chapter stinks like old cheese and a litter box. Sorry. The Digimon aren't my strong point. Save the evil ones.( yes, plural!)**

**Review replies:**

_**PrincessJaded:**_** no, that wasn't the line, but good guess. I'm glad you think it wasn't that boring, and yes, Sora is the leader of this chapter, they sorta been taking turns…**

_**Amaramichelle:**_** thanks! I'm sorry about the waiting, but the cliffie DOES get people to review, so expect more… heh. I feel evil! I didn't like this chapter as much as some of the others, but I'm very happy people seem to like it.**

_**Twilight in Rain**_**: yes, Holy crap just about sums it up. I'm glad this caused you to review though. Nice thorey, but not quite it- the Bakamon were paying attention to how the DD got into Myotismon's castle, I think. Plus, the doors are really heavy.**

_**Dawn:**_** I'm hurring, I'm hurrying! Tell it to my plot bunnies(there's a line though- stupid PBB( plot bunny bureaucrats)**

_**Merryb:**_** actually, no, but I DID just realized that 'avoid battle at all costs' is a ref! So you found a bonus! Points to you! For the real ones, visit my account.**

_**LonewolfVampire13**_**: thanks. Thirteen is my lucky number…spooky. I don't want to drive- don't even have a learners permit. I've never cared for Mr. King's stories- I hate horror. I want so badly to comment on Pella, but I must refrain….**

**Without any more delay, chapter 7 of Dark Serenity…**

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The group spun around and stared. Behind them, blocking the doorway, the owner of the voice stood- Voidmon. Ten feet tall, he was cloaked in a shroud of shadow, like an aura of pure darkness, unhindered by the flickering of torchlight.

"Ah, The Digidestind, all of you. How refreshing. I was beginning to think you weren't coming." He laughed, a sound like nails on a chalkboard.

The digimon looked to their partners, and digivolved, charging the demon with all their power. But before a single attack could be launched, in the split second before the transformation could complete itself, Voidmon simply raised a hand, and light poured from the attacking creatures, turning to darkness as it touched him. As the bright colors lost their luster and faded to gray, eyes widened as Voidmon drained the very life energy from the digimon, turning it into darkness. He seemed to grow, as the digimon di-digivolved in a faint burst of light. They returned to Rookie forms, gasping for breath, glaring at the evil digimon.

"Pathetic. I had expected something much more powerful from the destroyers of Piedmon, but what can one truly expect from mere human_ children_?" that laugh again. "What are you waiting for," he called to the shadow filled hallway behind him. "Attack!"

Dozens of Bakamon swarmed, appearing from thin air, surrounding the digidestind, pinning them against the wall that already held Tai and Matt. For 'weak' ghost Digimon, they were surprisingly strong- try as they might, none of the new captives could free themselves.

"Now, where was I? Ah, yes. I was beginning to think I had underestimated your attachment to your friends." Voidmon's eyes shone from within the shadow covering his face.

"What do you want?" Sora demanded, still struggling with the Bakamon holding her. Her eyes smoldered with hot anger. This monster was going to pay for what he'd done.

"It's really very simple. I need to know a single answer. Surely that is not so difficult? Who bears this crest?" A grey, wizened hand reached forward, and dangling from it was a gold chain- and a Tag, with an Indigo blue Crest – a swirl with jagged points above, below and on either side- spikes protecting the inside swirl from the world. " Which of you bears the Crest of Serenity?" the question was aimed not at T.K. or Kari in the least- in fact, they were being held nearer to Matt and Tai, while the others were at the other end of the room. It was asked of the other members of the Digidestind.

"Why should we tell you?" Mimi challenged, glaring hard, clenching her fists at her sides, and trying to stomp on the Bakamon's non-existent feet.

"I'm not telling you anything," Sora added in contempt.

Joe opened his mouth to say something as well, but before he could, Voidmon turned on him.

"You WILL tell me which child!" he snarled, anger glinting in unseen eyes, hidden in the folds of shadow.

"Wh-why is it so important." Joe managed, stuttering nervously.

"The Child of Serenity will be my Key to victory. The Prophecy I stole from your pathetic and weak mentor was penned by the mightiest of all the Prophets, the most Ancient of the True Guardians of Yore. In his words, it declares that I shall rule this land, this world, and all others and every land therein, with the aid of the Child. All I need is the Name. I advise you tell me before I grow impatient- meaning now. You are the leader of these fools, are you not? Tell me what I wish to know or suffer the consequences!" Voidmon thundered, staring at the Bearer of Responsibility.

"_What can I do? There is no Crest of Serenity- or if there is, it isn't one of us! But he doesn't know that!" _ Joe thought franticly, searching his friend's faces for anything. Drawing strength, he summoned his courage. "No. I won't." he said quickly. He was shaking like a leaf, but glared defiantly.

An instant later, Voidmon had lashed out- and seized the nearest digidestind- Mimi. "Tell me the Child's identity now or I will strike her dead. TELL ME!"

"Don't tell him, Joe!" Mimi shrieked, flailing. She knew as well as the rest of the digidestind that as long as Voidmon didn't know who he was looking for, they were all safe. "He won't do anything to me- he can't be sure I'm not his precious Key to victory!" she spat. She only prayed that Voidmon wouldn't take a chance that it wasn't her, that would NOT be good. not good at all..

"Clever girl," Voidmon released her with a hiss, to her relief, letting her crumple to the floor, and turned again to face Sora.

"Still, I advise you tell me. I'm starting to get angry."

_"If he's not angry now, I don't ever want to see him ferocious!" _Sora panicked. His gaze terrified her, and she wanted nothing more than to scream 'I Don't Know!' and hide forever and ever. But she held her tongue and stood stock still.

Still dazed and weak, the digimon struggled, and in the tussle, Gatomon broke free. "**Lightning Paw!" **she struck out at the Bakamon holding the nearest prisoner- Kari. The girl's captors released her, and she ran. She made it all of two steps before a half dozen more Bakamon had recaptured her and her Partner. Fighting tooth and claw, the cat-like digimon was dragged in front of Voidmon, who chuckled his awful laugh again. "That was very unwise, little Gatomon, very, very unwise. And now, you will see how foolishness and folly are dealt with! **Stone Shadow**!"

The dark energy that poured from his hands had a target, unlike any other time he'd used this same technique. It flew from his wrinkled grey finger tips to each of the Chosen digimon, cloaking them in shadow. As they were covered, they turned to black marble, silent statues.

"No!" Mimi cried. "Palmon!"

"Tentomon!" Izzy watched as his friend was changed before his eyes, wanting to wake from this awful nightmare.

"Gatomon!" Kari was horror struck, wishing desperately to take Gatomon's place.

"Biyo!" Sora whispered, trying in vain to reach her friend.

"Gomamon!" Joe felt his anger rising- he wanted to rip Voidmon limb from limb. He was only slightly shocked at the intensity of his rage.

"Patamon, not again!" it was too much. He had lost him before- T.K couldn't take losing his partner again- not now, when he was at the mercy of a being who had none.

"Agumon!" Tai rasped in anguish. He had tried to warn them… Beside him Matt cried out Gabumon's name.

"I'll give you one last chance. Tell me what I want to know!" Voidmon's voice rang through the room, loud and terrifying. Suddenly, one of the Bakamon yanked Izzy's computer from its case. "Master, perhaps the information we seek is here. We do not need them to tell us the Child's identity, or True Name. we can discover it ourselves."

Izzy knew then, he had to act. If Voidmon realized that not only was the Crest Bearer not among them, but that they had no idea who it was, they would have nothing to bargain with, nothing to keep him from simply destroying them all, then and there. He kicked out; knowing that possibly their only way home would be destroyed, but knowing that if it wasn't, they were as good as dead. With all his strength, he lashed out at the Digimon holding the laptop. The Bakamon dropped it, and it fell to the stone floor, shattering. The sound echoed, as everyone stared at the shards of computer, scattered bits of computer chips and plastic.

Izzy was breathing hard, but he smirked triumphantly. Voidmon snarled. "I gave you every chance, every opportunity, to avoid your fate!" he turned to the doorway, and clapped his hands, once, twice. Another digimon, covered entirely in an ethereal black cloak, entered, and bowed low.

"Take them away- you know where. Go!" the strange digimon nodded once, then roughly seized Izzy, pinning his arms behind his back. The Bakamon holding Joe, Mimi and Sora followed, exiting the room and turning down the corridor. As their friends were dragged away, T.K. and Kari struggled anew, and they were chained to the wall like their siblings.

As the last lock clicked, the hooded figure reappeared, and knelt at Voidmon's feet.

"Master, I did as you have bid me. They will tell- the uncertainty of the well being of the others will become their greatest fear, and the Crest bearer will step forward, you can be sure. The separation will drive them.. mad." Its voice was low, and cold, like any demon or slave of this dark digimon's would be expected to be.

"Good, my servant, my trusted ally. Rise." The servant stood, and as it did, the hood of the cloak fell, revealing a face. a human face. A narrow face framed by reddish gold curls and set with large, startlingly midnight blue eyes. A face just like...

It was Pella.

TBC ... .... ....

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**And JUST when you thought the cliffies were over! I feel evile (that's a higher level of evil than 'evil'. I'm not updating till Saturday- but this time I swear, on my honor, I will not be late. Mostly because we are finally at the set of chapters I love most and have been working on most. I might post Friday night if I get at least seven reviews. In this chapter, I referenced the Tennis Shoe adventure series: books 4, 6,9 and 10, sorta kinda Jurassic Park as well.. So, as always, read, and then review.**

**This week's treat is… digital gelato! But anyway- the cliffies aren't over, not by a long shot! this is a great feeling! i feel so powerful. REVIEW!  
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	9. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: **I think that it has been established that I do not own Digimon. Pella and Voidmon, however, DO belong to me, which means you can't kill them, even if you ask really, really nicely. Oh- and I own Ziyamon too- almost forgot…heh. Magic. I also have no claim over the stuff I reference.

**A/N:** So glad you all liked the chapter. Now that I have established that 'big cliffhanger= more reviews'…. I can be even more Evile! Onward!

**R R: PrincessJaded: **yes, you were right! Congrats**! **But**, **no, Mimi has the Crest of SINCERITY, Voidmon is looking for the Crest of SERENITY- there be a rather large difference, though they look alike. I still get the two confused, (let me tell you, every morning I put on a ring that says 'serenity' and think 'sincerity? What.. oh, right.') Thanks! By the way- a few chapters ago you asked who stole the prophecy- you still want to know? it's in the chappie.

**Merryb: ** yes- Pella. If it was a Spanish soap opera, it would be her evile, identical twin sister who was lost at birth. But its not. This be the real deal. Yeah, let me make this clear- IT IS PELLA. Not a clone, not a twin, not a look alike, not a mental trick meant to utterly destroy the digidestind's trust so that they can be tricked into killing the real Pella- this is the real deal.

**Amaramichelle: **yes, they do- apparently, Narnia's great this time of year, and so is Terabithia. Yes, I love cliffies. How'd you guess? :)

**Twilight in Rain: **yeah, Holy crap didn't begin to cover it for me either. This was really a crazy dream- only I was Pella, and Voidmon was my brother… first dream where I was evil. Glad you like it, and yes, your theory was pretty good!

**Dawn**: I just finished a book with the word 'thrashed' on about every page ( I started to happy dance when I saw it, thinking' coincidence?'). It's a great word. Sorry about your theory, I'm updating!

**LoneWolfVampire13**: yeah, Voidmon knows T.K. is the Child of Hope, and Kari of Light. Sorry 'bout your plan, but T.K has a big part in this next chapter- there be some Takari in it. *blushes* thanks.

**And now, the chapter you've been waiting for…uh, oh, right! Dark Serenity, chapter EIGHT!**

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"P-Pell? Pella, what are you- why are you…" Kari stared at her friend in disbelief. It _couldn't_ be. Pella was… his _ally?_

"_No! No, it can't be. Pella would never, would never…"_

And yet, Pella stood before them, having just imprisoned her own…friends, to let the fear of what might be done to the others convince the Crest bearer to step forward- but there was no Crest bearer, there was no one to end this, or stop the fear. The pain of this came crashing down like a tidal wave.

"Traitor! How could you? After you claimed to be our friend?" Tai tried to pull forward, anger burning in his eyes, but the chains held fast. Wasn't it enough that his friends were suffering- and now the one person back home they could trust was a backstabbing monster?

"What did you do to them?" Matt spoke slowly, each word like a dagger of ice. "If you hurt them, so help me, I'll-"

"You should be more concerned about your own skin, and those of your friends _here_, Digidestind." Voidmon was amused by the hostile exchange. " I have no need to harm the others- for one of them Shall become my greatest ally- aside from my Apprentice- weather he or she likes it or not. But as for you four…" again he laughed.

"Pell, what did he do to you, that you would help him?" Kari begged, refusing to believe that her best (non digidestind) friend- one she'd known since the second grade- was evil. Was fighting for the evil side- was against her.

"Oh, child of Light. How innocent you are. You thought she was your _friend_. How sweet. How naïve you are. She has never been your friend- only my Apprentice. The plan, it seems, was a success. What say you, my Ebrowen?" Voidmon directed his last statement at Pella, who turned her face from the ground to meet her master's eyes.

"It was easy. They are trusting. But then, I knew them from before. Still, they never guessed" she bowed again.

"No..." T.K. finally found his voice, but the whisper went unheard.

"Now, child, fetch the Scroll. The time draws near." Voidmon glanced to the door, and Pella turned her back and fled, returning moments later with a large Scroll the color of the dusk- not quite blue, not quite grey, not quiet gold, but a mixture of the colors- cradled in her arms.

Pella presented the scroll to Voidmon, who took it reverently. He turned from the girl to address the captives.

"No doubt you recognize this? The scroll of Twilight Sight, stolen from that fool, Gennai, by my Apprentice. While Gennai is inept at translations of the Script of Yore, I am not, nor is she. This Prophecy spells out my triumph- and it is inscribed with words of power. He read aloud, " 'As day turns to night/ darkness comes from Light/ the powers of the dark/ shall soon delight'. And, more to the point, there is a verse that is quite intriguing, regarding the Children of," the young teenagers could hear the cold smile in his voice, "Hope and Light." Voidmon opened the scroll, and read from it, the words filling the air with a chill.

"One from the Void shall soon prevail

Controlling all worlds, each hill, each vale.

Though Good struggles, it soon shall fail

A child will stand forth, a human pale

Who must send Hope or Light past Death's veil

Allowing Void to win, and to prevail."

Voidmon began pacing, speaking aloud. "The words spell out what must be done, and as my powers are incapable of destroying _you_," he looked hard at T.K. and Kari, " and yes, I know who you are, so do not attempt to conceal it from me. The prophecy is at the same time, a curse. Until one or both of you are dead, I cannot achieve total control. But by the same token, I cannot yet destroy a Crest linked to the digital world itself- only a human can do that. This is, you see, where my Apprentice comes in." Again, he laughed cruelly at the blanched faces of the very frightened foursome. He glanced at Pella, and the girl stepped forward.

"Yes, my master?" she asked, though she knew what was to be said next- this moment had been planned for weeks.

"Dear child, my dear Ebrowen, you are the one mentioned in the Prophecy. I grant you the honor that in the coming years of my reign, multitudes of my followers will envy. Stand forth."

It was only truly then that the full meaning of the Prophecy and Voidmon's speech hit Tai, Matt, T.K. and Kari, and they felt of new level of fear fill themselves.

Voidmon continued, still speaking to Pella. "As the Child of the Prophecy, I give you the Children of Light and Hope. You need destroy only one of them for us to rule, and the other will be of some use to us later. Therefore, I grant you the Choice. Who shall die? Choose wisely, my Apprentice, for this choice shall shape our worlds."

It was as if all the oxygen in the room was gone- the Digidestined choked for air, gasping in shock. Matt and Tai strained, trying to break free to protect their little siblings, but to no avail.

"NO!" Matt screeched, wanting desperately to do anything to save his friends. But there was nothing he could do.

A Quote flashed through Pella's mind, one she'd learned years ago, read in a book somewhere. '_Even when there is no Light, when the last star fades to grey, there can still be hope. For without Light, life is dark; without Hope, there is no Life at all.'_

With this in her mind, she slowly walked forward, at last looking at the people she had betrayed, stopping in front of the final prisoner, T.K. He felt her cold hand on his cheek, and flinched away, recoiling from her touch. At long last, she spoke.

"I used to like you, you known." She spoke quietly, but the others could still hear each word. "Even love you, although you never saw it, I had hoped, wished on every star, that one day you'd see. But, Like Eponine, my dear Marius, I knew your heart would never be mine. It was always _Hers_, always Kari's. Anyone could see it, even though I tried to be blind. So, Please believe me when I say that I do this for _you_. For _us._"

Pella turned slightly and locked eyes with Kari, rising sun and blue moon, meeting for the first time in what seemed like forever. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. You were my best friend- my first friend. But it has to end this way, Kari."

Tai sucked in a breath as the three boys realized exactly what Pella was saying.

"No, Pella, Please, Please!" T.K. choked out, "If what you said is true- if you ever felt anything for me, you'll pick me instead. Don't hurt Kari, please!" he began to sob historically, as Tai screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I'll hunt you down, hunt you like a rodent! If you so much as touch her- or any of my friends- I'll kill you with my bare hands. Traitor! I swear I will!" Instinct took over, and he pulled forward, tugging at the chains, screaming wordlessly in rage at his inability to protect the Light of his world, his Kari, his little sister.

All the while, Matt continued to hiss, his voice cold with anger, "We trusted her. How could she…how were we so blind. Traitor!" he longed to join in with Tai's rant- but what if Pella hurt T.K? He didn't want to lose Kari- but T.K was his _brother. _But Kari was like a sister to him- if only none of this had ever happened- it was all Pella's fault!

Pella looked each of the chosen children in the eye, her own dry and clear as glass, the others overflowing with tears. She shook her head as T.K. continued to plead with her to take him instead, to spare Kari's life.

Stepping back, she looked to the dark demon that had begun it all.

"My Master," she gave a little smile, though it was laced with the smallest hint of melancholy. "I am ready. I have made my Choice."

TBC…..

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**Ahh! No, don't kill me! * covers head with hands* if you do, I can't post the next Chapter next week, and that would be a pity, right? In this chapter, I referenced Victor Hugo's ****Les Mis****- the musical and the book (movie doesn't count) if you can correctly tell me what I referenced, you get a treat- a sneak peak. This is an easy reference. Trust me! I also referenced ****Healer's Keep****- if anyone gets the inside joke I'll post Friday night! Anyway, I won't take up much more time, as I know you are all just itching to click the Oh-so-shiny-and-beautiful review button and let me know what you think of this huge cliffie- one I've been planning since I started this story. So, review, please. It makes me feel shiny and happy, and much more likely to post the next chapter ahead of schedule(blackmail! Aha!)**

**See you all in chapter Nine of Dark Serenity.**

**-HNA.**


	10. Chapter Nine

HNA: Hey Guys! First off, this Chapter is dedicated to all my reviewers, in particular Merryb, who is a great friend and adviser, and PrincessJaded, who has reviewed nearly every chapter without fail and got both the refs i was thinking of, and my cousin, who i hope is reading this. what would i do without you? I've decide to do what some of the other authors do- have a character do the disclaimer. So...*looks at Pella Ellowen*

Pella: _Me? BUT, but ...That's a death sentence! i'll DIE  
_

HNA: So? Try to be loveable- it might keep them from lynching you. and they won't kil you. * looks at readers sternly* Right?

Pella: _Fine- ok. um Hedgi Naysomay Aisling does not own digimon, Tennis Shoes Adventure series, Beauty or any characters or quotations from either. She DOES own me and my master, and this Whole story- so you can't kill me without her say so. HA! NOW WHAT? Um, have a lovely day? Thank you for reading? Thank you for NOT lynching me? Now what_ _do i do_?

HNA: ok- you can go now. you are due back at the castle in a minute or so.

Pella: *hides behind bullet proof shield* _thanks. I'm going!  
_

Ok, I realize that most of you want her dead. I regret to inform you that her role in the tale isn't over yet and I still need her, for a while-

R R: **PrincessJaded**: congrats on the Keep reference! And on the Les Mis reference as well (you got the one I was thinking of first- it's yours) I don't know if there is a way for a reader to murder an OC, but authors can. However as I said before, I still need Pella, so you are out of luck for now.

**Twilight in Rain**: not what I was thinking of, but it works. Sorry, but I don't make promises I can't keep- there may or may not be death in the chapter…

**Merryb: **yes, I was right. But don't judge her that quickly- she really does like T.K. (gasp- it's true.) what can I say? In the dream, she was me, and I love T.K., though I'd never even consider "getting rid" of Kari.

**LoneWolfVampire13: **I'm glad you like the story, and I'm glad you 'hate/love' me- that means I'm doing it right. Technically, I CAN kill Kari- as the author I am physically capable of it (but is my heart strong enough?). Pella knows full well how much T.K. loves Kari- yeah, she has issues. She figures Tai's in no place to kick her sorry butt, Pella's not THAT stupid. Trust me on this. She knows exactly what she's doing.

**Serenityrose**: glad you like it- but I can't promise anything! I'm assuming you mean 'soon'? Don't die! that'd be bad.

**Digidestind of Balance**: it's great to hear from you again**!***blushes* thanks**. **But regardless of what Pella does in this story, we signed a writer/character agreement- she is under my protection until the end of the story, and I can't allow you to kill her. Do you really think I could quit now? You'd all kill me!

…On with the story! CHAPTER NINE OF **DARK SERENITY** IS HERE!

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Kari's blood turned to ice, but she did not speak, only let the tears stream down her face. She had trusted the wrong person; had not run when Tai told her to- and now she would die. Her only consolation, her only ember of joy, was that it would be she that died, and not T.K. Not the one she loved, not the one she knew now loved her back.

With Pella's declaration, the tortured cries of the three boys went quiet and only whispered pleas for mercy could be heard as silent tears fell- in anger, pain , and bitter sorrow.

Pella's face showed no hint of feelings- if she had any at all. But as the clear cerulean of her eyes met Kari's crimson, a flash of some unknown emotion sparked in their depths- only for an instant, less than a heartbeat.

"Call the Digimon then, Apprentice," Voidmon commanded, enjoying every moment of the horrid spectacle before his hooded, soulless eyes. Pella whistled a short, haunting tune, and a digimon entered, black as night, fox-like with powerful muscles and claws. It did not look at anyone but Pella, but Kari could sense that it was in pain somehow. It was not a digimon of darkness, but the shadows of evil had taken over.

"Zikanamon," Pella looked at the monster, and smiled again- another melancholy look. "The time has come at last. Destroy-" she paused, seemingly fighting with herself over something. Or perhaps she merely wanted to dangle her power before the helpless digidestind.

Tai pulled on his chains one last time with every ounce of anger, fear and adrenalin he possessed, and finally with a grating noise that rivaled the sound of Voidmon's laughter, , the pegs pulled from the wall. He rushed the girl who held his sister's life in her hands, clawing at her throat. Zikanamon rushed to protect her mistress, snatching the boy with a huge claw and flinging him away. Tai hit the wall and groaned, holding his head.

The digimon again faced her mistress, and was greeted by a sharp, almost angry look.

"Who, Pell?" Zikanamon's voice was not cold or cruel, but sweet and clear. She used the same nickname that Kari and T.K had given Pella the first day they met, so many years ago, by the lake rumored among second graders to have witch's bones at the bottom. Kari remembered that day- shortly after returning from the Digiworld, and wishing desperately she could go back- but was Pella working for Voidmon even then? She had been so in need of friends, and T.K. and Kari were feeling alone without their digimon. It had seemed like fate- but had it all truly been part of some trap?

"Destroy the-" Pella began again, her voice cracking.

T.K interrupted a final time, crying out, "Pella, please don't do this! I'll do anything, anything! Please! Take me instead, I'm begging you! If you can feel anything, if you have even the slightest feeling of-"

" No, T.K. It's… Alright.," Kari whispered. "I Love you." But the words she had kept close to her heart went unheard, as Pella turned on the blond.

"Be Silent. Do not tell me what my feelings would choose- I do what I do for them, because of them. I will not- I cannot kill you. Do not ask that of me." She was breathing hard. "I. Have. CHOSEN!" she thundered the last word, as Voidmon chuckled at the foolishness of love.

"If you kill Kari, I am dead already." T.K. said softly, his eyes filling with fresh tears.

"Zikanamon," Pella called, shedding now a single, final tear, a prayer echoing through her heart. "Zikanamon, destroy- destroy…DESTROY ME!"

There was no call of the attack, only a beam of light the same dark blue of Ziyamon's coat, and the castle began to shake, as the girl with long reddish-gold hair crumpled to the ground.

Voidmon bellowed in fury and unclenched his hands, letting the scroll of Twilight Sight and the Crest of Serenity fall to the floor with a clatter.

The strange Crest landed near Zikanamon, her head bowed in mourning for her mistress, and near Pella. What happened next was hard to tell with the shaking and dust filling the air. Zikanamon began to glow, the same indigo blue as the crest, and suddenly became something different entirely. A tall, faerie-like creature stood in her place, with sliver skin and hair like the sky on the horizon at twilight's end, a pale sapphire, mixed with the luster of a thousand stars. What looked like words were ribboned *in silver over a tunic the color of her hair. With a single phrase, her voice like a crystal bell, she attacked, "Prayer of the Ancients!"

The word-ribbons came to life, filling the air, the room, with light. They wrapped around the manacles holding Matt, T.K. and Kari to the wall, around the dark stone statues of the frozen digimon, and around Voidmon himself. Then the ceiling began to crazy and the light went dark.

The chains disappeared in a scattering of data, and the four children fell, got to their feet, and ran for the door, all eight chosen digimon, free from the dark spell, hot on their heels.

"Where are the others?" Biyomon questioned franticly, but there was no time to search or even reply, no time to find and open four separate cells. It pained them to do it- but the castle was coming down.

"_When T.K. and Kari are safe, I'll go back_." Matt thought. "_My legs are longer- I can go faster."_

Feet pounding, the inky shadows thick, Matt did not realize that he had pulled ahead of the others until he was in open air. He turned to see the digimon and his three friends running for the exit. Gabumon passed through. Then Gatomon, but before anyone else could flee the passage, the stones at last collapsed, crashing down to earth, blocking any exit, trapping, crushing anyone still inside

"No! T.K!" Matt screamed his brother's name. He began digging franticly, scraping his hands raw. "Help me! What are you waiting for!" he shouted to the two digimon, who, still in shock, began to help as best they could.

"T.K! Tai! Kari! T.K.!" Matt continued to shout as he rolled away huge chunks of stone from what had been the exit. There was a tiny chance- they might just be trapped- the castle had been shaped like a massive, square igloo- the entrance had jutted out, nothing on top of it. There was still Hope, they might be O.K….

It was no use. The rubble rocks were just too big! Too heavy! He collapsed, trembling, weeping bitterly, longingly, eternally, over the grave of his brother and friends.

TBC

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*= that is now a word. meaning: that ribbons are wrapped around something/someone. it sounds like this 'ribb end' ok?

Zikanamon sounds like this 'zi can uh mon'. her Digivolved form, by the way, is Ziyazenmon( 'zi uh zen mon'). yes, I lied in a previous review reply. sorry about that. I couldn't let anyone discover the truth yet!

Didn't see any of that coming, did you? I feel very Evile. Well, most of you got your wish-  
Pella is dead. are you happy? of course not, the story is not done yet and i've just done something awful and evile. But Oh Noes! Not good! Not good at all! I referenced Beauty, by Nancy Butcher, and Tennis Shoes Adventure book four- as always, find a reference ( the one I'm thinking of) and you get a clue, even if you get it after someone else- you will still get the sneek peak, i promise. Check my profile- I've renovated it a bit- added some stuff. The next chapter is (duh) super important. Don't miss out!

HNA


	11. Chapter Ten

Why hello! Good to see all of you. I suppose you are wanting chapter ten? Just a moment, if you will. In the mean time…

Gatomon: _Hedgi Naysomay Aisling does not own Digimon. Nor will she ever own digimon. Or anything she references. And it's a good thing, to, seeing as she just ki-_

HNA: Gatomon, don't you need to go comfort Matt?

Gatomon: _hiss._

Well, that takes care of that! Thanks for the reviews, as always, they make me feel very shiny.

**PrincessJaded:** did I say Zoyamon?( I don't think I did hmm)? But sort of , yeah. Ziyamon is the rooky form of Zikanamon. No, the foolishness of love isn't a ref( well, it might be, and probably is. But I didn't intend it…) I'm glad you love the story.

**Twilight in Rain: **it does seem that way, doesn't it? And the others- well, erm, the cells ARE in the center of the castle- but if I had killed everyone, I don't think I would be able to write 3 chapters after this one, so… questions are lovely! I'm glad you are waiting, but you don't need to be patient. You can yell at me to hurry.

**Light Of Hope 07: **better late then never! I don't mind. I'm glad you think I'm a good writer- I always think, 'oh this chapter stinks but I need to post it so I can get to the better written stuff' and then you guys tell me it was good- something that makes me very happy. I do love the cliffies. As for the rest- read on!

**Merryb: **correct, I did kill her off. That little part has been planned since the beginning. I love pulling the unexpected. Just wait until the next chapter! Or this one. This one works too.

**Serenityrose**: congrats on the TSA bit- how nice of you to tell the others without being able to get the peak yourself. And yes. They are 'harry' for this bit- minus the paralysis. Anyone who wants to understand what I mean by that, pm me and I'll explain. It's kind of a long story/inside joke about TSA.

**LoneWolfVampire13**: I believe it has been established that I am very evile : ) I don't think you'll go that crazy...will you? Uh oh. And for the stories sake I did need to kill Pella. You will have to wait and see. Let's not get the FBI involved, 'k ? : )

**Digidestind of Balance:** maybe I didn't. They are wonderful people, I know that. But so was wizardmon…( hey! I just gave you a clue to something. Look at the tense!!!!) wow…did it make you cry? Heh.. srry… but I'm glad you like the chapter.

I have now established that killing off/almost killing off/threatening to kill off characters gets me reviews. Oh the fun I shall have!

On ward! Or should I say, On word!

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Matt continued to grieve, with Gatomon and Gabumon standing limply by his side.

"_I shouldn't have pulled a head, I should have stayed with them!" _he thought, replaying the image in his mind, unable to stop it- turning around, seeing T.K's face as the stone grated and came down. It was too much. Too much had been lost today. _T.K. Kari. Tai. Joe. Izzy. Sora. Mimi_. His best friends in the world. _And the digimon. They're all gone. All of them. Why couldn't I save them! If Tai hadn't come to talk to me, he'd have been safe, and if the other's hadn't come after us, so world they. This is all __**her**__ fault. __**Her fault.**__ I Hate her. She killed them, as surely as if she'd used a gun or knife. Pella. That horrible, despicable.." _ Matt felt his tears turn hot, and his fists clenched. He wanted to destroy something, kill something.

"Matt," Gabumon laid a paw on his partner's shoulder. "Hatred and anger won't bring them back. I hate her too, but it won't solve anything."

"I know, but it sure-"

Matt stopped abruptly, and looked at Gatomon.

"Yes?" he asked, swiping a hand over his eyes, trying to clear away some of his tears, glad of anything to pull his mind from the memory.

"I didn't say anyth-" she mewed

"Shh!" Matt interrupted, listening hard.

There it was again.

A faint whisper.

"M…mmaa…t…?"

It was coming from within the rocks!

"T.K.!" Matt began digging again, ignoring the pain in his hands. "T.K. I'm coming! Tai! Kari!" Gatomon and Gabumon began digging as well, carefully but diligently.

With the moving of the last stone, Matt saw it. A tiny cavity between four boulders- and within it his brother, Kari ,and Tai, and the six digimon- all covered with scrapes and bleeding from gashes, but otherwise safe and sound.

_Alive._

With help from the two uninjured digimon, Matt hoisted his friends free of the cave, now crying with joy. The friends embraced in a group hug.

" I thought I'd lost you," Matt kept repeating, praising God for this miracle.

But the elation was short lived- for though some of the group had survived, the loss of Mimi, Izzy, Joe and Sora weighed heavily on their shoulders. Could there possibly have been away for them to have made it? No… it was impossible.

While the survivors attempted to stop the bleeding with strips of clothe torn from shirt sleeves, the digimon, who had fared much better than the children, tried to navigate the piles of stone, hoped in vain to see any sign of the missing digidestind. As they returned with heads hanging low, and hearts broke anew, something- a memory ?- called to them.

" Matt! Tai!" there it was again. That voice. A very familiar voice. There was no doubt about it- it was real.

"Sora!" all of the mourning friends turned from the fallen castle to see their missing comrades charging toward them. As they drew closer, Kari could see that their cheeks were wet with tears, tears that continued to come. The group, reunited at last, embraced, laughing and crying, crying and laughing, and seemed content to never let go.

At last they broke apart, and Tai spoke.

"How did you escape? Pella told Voidmon she locked you up- what happened?

"Pella? What do you mean? Is your head ok?" Mimi demanded, shaking her head.

Izzy muttered something to himself, "That makes sense," he concluded.

T.K., who had Taken Kari's hand answered. "She betrayed us- she was working for Voidmon. She was the servant who…took you away. When she returned, she said shed separated you and…and…" he choked on the words, looking away.

"What happened ?" Sora looked franticly from face to face.

"Voidmon told her to help him fulfill a Prophecy- to…_kill_ T.K. or Kari…she said things and we thought she was going to choose Kari, but instead she did something- ordered a digimon to kill her, and the walls came down." Tai's voice was only a whisper.

Joe's eyes widened, but he said nothing. This topic was clearly to hard to discuss at the moment.

"But how did you escape?" Kari asked, her brow crinkled in confusion.

"Simple. We were never locked up." Izzy replied slowly.

_[flashback]_

"_Let go of me!" Mimi screamed at the Bakamon, who didn't listen._

"_Mistress," it said, addressing the servant holding Izzy's hands tightly , forcing him forward," the tower rooms are the other way._

"_I know!" snapped the hooded figure. "Master Voidmon has changed his plans. They are not to be separated. Follow me, or I'll see you punished." Her voice was familiar, but under the duress of capture, Izzy couldn't place it._

_Down the hall see led them, until they reached a door made of metal bars a hand's width apart- a large cell. With one hand, Mistress unlocked the door, and thrust her prisoner in, followed closely by Joe, Sora and Mimi._

_She closed the door, and turned to the Bakamon. _

"_You are dismissed, I shall guard them." She commanded, and the digimon departed._

"_What do you want? We aren't going to help you find your stupid Crest-Barer, you hear me?" Sora screeched._

_Mistress ignored the question. Before anything else was said, they heard a clatter, and a faint, "forgive me." Then Mistress was gone, and something was glittering on the floor of the cell- a brass key._

"_Is it a trap?" Joe asked, bending down for a better look._

"_Do we have a choice?" Mimi asked back, snatching the key and hefting it in her hand." That…whoever it was left it for a reason. Didn't you hear her? She asked for forgiveness. I say we get out of here!"_

"_I agree. Let's go, we have to find the others. Who knows what that monsters doing to them?" Sora put in._

"_It seems safe enough- even if it is a trap, is it any safer than waiting here?" Izzy added._

_Since Joe had the longest arms, he was the one who reached through the bars and unlocked the door._

_The castle was a maze of passageways, but before to long, the four friends had found their way back to the main hall. Just as they were about to turn down the hall that led to the room were they had found Tai and Matt, the castle began to shake._

" _run!" Joe shouted, grabbing Mimi's hand, pulling her to safety._

"_Palmon!" she cried, as she tried to run back, restrained my Joe and Izzy. They continued to run as far as they could. As they turned back, they saw the castle crumble in a pile of stone and dust._

"_No! Tai!" Sora fell to her knees, refusing to believe it. "Tai! Biyomon! Tai!"_

_They were gone. Gone. Dead. She felt her friends sink to the desert ground beside her, weeping. And then they heard a voice, Matt's voice._

" _Matt! Tai!" she called and she ran, the others hot on her heels._

_[end flashback]_

"That's what happened." Mimi, who had taken up the story midway, finished.

Izzy shook his head.

"If Pella… why did she allow us to escape, if she..?" he asked.

"Who knows?" Tai said bitterly. "She's dead now." He pointed at the rubble.

With help from Mimi, Joe, sora and Izzy, the three injured digidestind reached the place where they had left the packs. As Joe set about treating the various scrapes, Sora reached into her pack- and pulled out a rather crumpled envelope.

Without a word, she handed it to Tai. He read the rather smudged words in familiar handwriting on the front- "Give to Tai or Matt After this is all over."

It was from Pella. Looking at Sora curiously, Tai asked, "Where'd this come from?"

"I found it in Joe's bag." Sora said quietly. She had guessed, from the way Tai's face paled, who it was from.

"Do you want me to read it?" she asked gently.

"No…I will." Tai took a deep breath as the others gathered around, and opened the letter.

TBC…….

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**Well, I hope you all liked this chapter! It took me about 5 drafts to write…heh. The story is slowly drawing to a close, but I promise, it isn't over till I say so.**

**I referenced yet more of TSA 4, a continuation of last chapters. However, there will be no sneak peaks, as I haven't started writing the next chapter. Also, next chapter will be very late. Why? Well, my first wisdom tooth is coming in, and it hurts like heck- not only is my jaw to small, but apparently it's infected.. So pity me. I can't even talk! Anyway, I love all of you who have read this far and put up with my cliffies :) It means a lot to me each time I get a review. Lets see if we can top 50 this chapter, shall we? Um.. that's about all. Read and review, have a lovely day, and be nice to your dentists.**

**See you next time….whenever that may be.**

**Hedgi Naysomay Aisling**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**HNA: Hey everyone! The story is drawing to a close- there's only one chapter left after this. I've got a couple one shots and songfics set during this story that I'll be posting though. Big hugs for those of you that have been reading faithfully. MerryB, and cousin Emmza, this chapter's for you guys.**

**Tai: **_**Hedgi Naysomay Aisling does not own digimon. And it's a darn good think, cause if she did, I'd quit. Speaking of which…**_

**HNA: Tai, come on, it wouldn't be a story without you! You need to read the letter. What if I get Sora to make you cookies?**

**Tai: **_**no more almost dieing?**_

**HNA: I promise I won't almost kill you off again. or Kari.**

**Tai: **_**throw in the cookies and it's a**__**deal.**_

**Moving on**

**RR: Twilight in Rain: in the second chapter, Pella snuck a letter into Joe's bag.**

**Light of Hope 07: yes, you can breath. Don't stop breathing, that'd be bad. D'ja really think I could kill them all off with three chapters to go? It's been on my profile that it's gonna be thirteen chapters long. I'm glad you love me as an author. I love you as a reviewer : )**

**Digidestind of Balance : it was easy for them to be found because I wrote this late at night and wanted to go to sleep. You can now read the letter!**

**Princess Jaded: the moment we've all been waiting for! I've done four versions of the letter. I like this one best.**

**LoneWolfVampire13: Babbling is a wonderful thing, I do it always. If I posted it all at once, no one'd review tho, so yeah. No, I'm not out to get you. And I'm not trying to get you on crack- I don't approve of any sort of drugs. : )**

**Here's the long awaited CHAPTER ELEVEN!**

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**

Tai slid a finger under the seal, and tore the envelope open. He had been half expecting it to explode, or contain a deadly toxin, but it contained only a small something wrapped in tissue paper, and two sheets of lined paper, covered with smudged pencil letters and erase marks.

He unfolded the tissue paper to reveal a photograph it was simple, just black and white, and very small, but it was obviously Kari and Pella, beaming at the camera, a lake in the background. Why had this been included? Tai threw it to the ground, and unfolded the sheets of paper. Clearing his throat, he read aloud only the first line.

"_Tai, Matt, everyone,_

_I.."_

"I can't." he said quietly, shaking his head. "I just can't."

Sora took the letter, and praying for strength, read.

" _Tai, Matt, everyone_," The paper was covered in what looked like dried droplets of water.

" _I'm sorry, So sorry. I didn't have a choice- I did what I was ordered to do, whether I wanted to or not. A curse, or something, I don't remember. I can't remember anything for an entire month of my life. But regardless I am to blame for- oh, matt, tai, you must hate me so much- I hate me for what I have done by the time you read this letter. Please believe me, I didn't want to do it. I didn't want them to die, I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO DIE! I tried to warn them, because i.. I knew, I was told the Plan, but then he took you and I knew I couldn't keep them from searching, and I was so afraid, so I wrote this. I never wanted this to happen- Kari was my best friend, she was my best friend. And although you won't want to hear this, not from me, not from the monster- I loved T.K. I did. I never wanted to hurt them. You must believe it, i.._

_I know that simply saying sorry is not going to turn death to life, I know I can never clean my soul for the terrible things by now I have done. Oh, God please, hate me, I need your hatred._

_I betrayed you- I stole the prophecy from Gennai for my Master, but.. but I did not tell him, did not give him all. I give it instead to you, as a way to partially redeem some small part of myself. The words were:_

'_But should Dark Serenity chose the right_

_Sameself before Hope or Light_

_The Crest emerged after souls fight_

_Her spirit find a way past the plight_

_Become yet a crest of light_

_Restore what was taken to the right'_

_I do not understand it, for my mind is still misty with anything to do with the world of my Master. But I know,. I feel, that you will. _

_I do not ask for what you can not give, what you should not give: forgiveness. But I feel you should know that I… that I took no pleasure in my action it is all my fault, all my fault. I never meant for this to happen, never. Please believe that. I beg you to hate me less for the dark act, knowing now what I have told you. I understand that you will never be able to think of me without hatred and bitterness because of their deaths. I accept that as my fate. I will never forgive even myself until I die and beyond even that._

_I truly am sorry,_

_Pella Ellowen."_

Sora finished reading, and looked up. She had no explanation for the letter. What had Pella meant- 'their deaths' ' I never wanted them to die.' It sounded like she thought that.. like she thought that.

"She thought she'd kill T.K and Kari." Mimi put two and two together. " I don't know what to make of this, but it sounds like she thought she'd be ordered to kill them, and did. I mean, she said she couldn't help but do what she was told. That's awful."

Tai and Matt just sat there, unable to take it all in.

" But they aren't dead… she killed herself." Matt licked his lips nervously. What did the letter mean? Had she really.. .could it be that Pella hadn't been a willing servant of Voidmon? But she had bowed and spoken so casually about the others- but then, she had never truly locked them up, had she?

Joe cleaned his glasses on his filthy shirt. " It sounds like she really was trapped in the situation. And if she did kill herself, rather than one of us, she must have been desperate to end this mess without hurting you. Maybe we were wrong."

"But why didn't she just say something, anything about this?" T.K asked quietly. "She could have told us, warned us.. anything."

"Would you have listened?" Izzy asked. "If she had told you, one, you would have gotten angry with her for working with evil, even against her will, and you would have gone to rescues Matt anyway. And don't say she could have warned us before hand- we can't all be ready to fight off a digimon every minute of the day. Voidmon would have gotten one of us sooner or later."

"It's true," Kari said, nodding. She would have gone to save her brother, or any of her friends, even if she had known it might kill her.

Tai was starring at the now rather dirty photograph. The carefree days of smiling at a camera were gone- for Pella they'd never come again. Kari had been right all along- Pella had been forced into it all. And she'd never said a word. How long had she been a servant of Darkness, he wondered. She had betrayed them. She had caused his family, and his family of friends, heartache and pain. But she had chosen to destroy herself before she would hurt her friends any more. She had thought she'd be forced into killing two of her friends, and yet had embraced, welcomed the hatred. She had been a strange girl.

Matt looked over Tai's shoulder at the picture. He had taken the photo with his first camera. Pella no matter how cruel she had seemed in that room, had saved his brother. Could it be that she was truly a good friend? Regardless, she was dead now.

Sora shook her head. The silence was driving her nuts. Pella had never truly betrayed them, it seemed. She had done all she could to avoid hurting them. After all, she had left the key to the cell in the cell, and she had confessed to everything in the letter…to her part, her reasons, and the fate she would accept. Sora found that she couldn't hate the girl. Pella had been a closed friend of hers- it had been hard to believe the others when they told of what had happened.

T.K felt himself shaking as he remembered all the days he had spent with Pella- had she really.. loved him? It hadn't seemed like it. It was she who had convinced him to ask Kari out- something he had been about to do before the whole fiasco started. He reached deep inside himself, and found that he believed the words of the letter, and the tear splotches left behind. He had been wrong. She had been true. he knew now what she had meant, telling him that she 'did what she did for him' she had cared so deeply for him, she had known he could only be happy with Kari. By 'for us' she had meant 'for the memory of me.' He felt peace.

Mimi reached into her own pack, and pulled out a necklace. It was a silver oval, engraved with the words 'I am a Child of God'. She handed it to Kari. " Pella left this at my house last week- it was in my pocket when we left. I think she'd want you to have it."

Kari opened the locket, and a small scrap of paper fell like a drop of milk to the ground. Kari opened it, read the words, and replaced it, hanging the locket around her neck.

"Tai," she said at long last. "Let's go home."

Everyone laughed. Home. Had it really been less than a week? It had seemed like decades. Home.

******

Since Izzy's laptop was gone, the group would have to go to Gennai's house to return home. Since they no longer had to hide or conserve strength, it only took an afternoon, after a few hours nap, to reach the lake shore. The digital world was alive again. Since the destruction of Voidmon by the mysterious creature, everything he had wrought was reversing. The world was safe again. the prophecy had been negated. Life could go back to normal. Soon, Gennai would send them home, where they would have to find a way to explain everything to the parents…

"Gennai?" Tai called into the lake. The waters parted instantly, and the gang entered the house.

"Digidestind!" the old sage greeted them. "You have saved us again. Thank you. I will send you home, as I see you are without your laptop." He raised an eyebrow at the redhead.

Izzy frowned. "It had a disagreement with some stone."

"I see, now, I'll have to ask you to be quiet, as my guest needs rest. Of course, nothing is going to wake her, I don't think, but still. I can send you home with the next sunset - In about an hour . Wait out here, if you please. Cookies?"

They declined the offer of cookies. But at the mention of the guest, each of the children looked at the back door.

"She?" asked T.K.. Was it the digimon from before?

"Yes, She. I'm afraid she's more dead than alive, and might never wake up, but there isn't much anyone can do, even on Earth." Gennai had grown very serious. "I haven't a clue who she is, but I had heard legends about the digimon that left her here- Ziyazenmon- pure peace is what she is, in spirit. She fights with ribbons of peaceful prayers. What she was doing with a-"

"Wait. What does this Ziyazenmon look like?" Matt demanded.

"Like a faerie, silver and blue." The confused mentor said. "Why? Have you seen her?"

"Yes… I think so." Tai said. He wasn't sure if the beautiful creature he had seen had been real or a vision caused by his crash to the floor.

Without a word, Kari got to her feet, and threw open the door. Lying on a woven mat was a pale form. The form of a girl,. She was breathing only shallowly, and paler than natural, even in the dim light of the backroom. Her hair was covering her face, but it was apparent who it was. Pella.

" how?" the others joined Kari in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" asked a voice from the darkness, and a shape emerged. A dark blue, foxlike digimon. Ziyamon. The whole adventure had truly come full circle.

" I'm sorry." The digimon said. "but my partner is in.. a coma. She's never going to wake up, all because of me."

The little creature burst into tears.

TBC..

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**Hey everyone! Thanks for 50 reviews. It really made my day. Now, since I'm sure you all want to know, I went to a person who takes out teeth, who told me that it wasn't wisdom teeth, but a canker sore! Sore wow, I feel much better now. Thanks for your support. There will be one chapter after this… remember to review. Please. I mean it. I hope you like the chapter. It was really hard to write. I mean, the after thoughts of the letter were super hard. It took me all week to create them. Now do you see why I love Pella? It TOTALLY wasn't her fault! Think, Ella Enchanted meets dark rings/spirals. That's basically how poor Pella was. If you want to know what was inside the locket, say so in a review. It's based on reality- I have a locket just like that with a piece of paper inside. And here I go babbling… ok, go review! I want to get to 60 this time! **

**Thanks everyone.**

**Hedgi Naysomay Aisling.**


	13. Chapter Twelve

HNA: well, this is it, the final chapter of my first story. I hope you all liked it. I had a ton of fun writing it, and reading your responses. It's really helped me through some icky times. This is a rather sad chapter, so get your tissues!

Ziyamon_: Hedgi Naysomay Aisling does not own Digimon, but this story is hers and she defends it with large pillows and candy corn bribery_.

HNA: thanks, Ziya.

RR: **Dawn: ** I'm glad you like it. I'm sorry it is ending, but it's far better than the original plotline( it was only 5 pages long!

**Amaramichelle: **you will, soon enough**. **it is kinda sad that the story is over, for me as well.

**PrincessJaded**: it took about 5 drafts to finally get the letter perfect( did I say that already?) so I'm glad you liked it the ending was actually something I wrote spur of the moment, so yeah..

**DD of B: **Pella did nothing to me... would you rather she just be dead? And it was too emotional for Tai, ya know?

**Twilight in Rain: ** I thrive on the unexpected. Makes life fun. A scrap of paper is in the locket.

**LonewolfVampire13:** well, thanks for sparing me… uh..*walks away slowly*

**MerryB**: I'm sorry :( I'm glad you don't hate Pella as much now… YES! It's my locket, only what's written on my paper isn't in hers…( if anyone wants to know what's in my locket, PM me, and I'll be glad to tell you.)

On with the story!

Chapter 12- the finale!

Kari was the first to cross into the darkness and kneel by the half-dead girl's side

"Pell." She said, softly, placing one hand on the silver locket hanging from her neck, feeling the tiny grooves of the words.

The others gathered around, as little Ziyamon continued to wail.

"Ziyamon, why do you say it's your fault? Pella made her choice- she wouldn't blame you." Mimi tried to calm the digimon.

"But I killed her. I attacked her…" the cub cried.

" No." T.K. answered. " she chose her fate, she wanted it." His own eyes filled with tears. Pella may have been working with Voidmon, but she had done everything she could to save the friends.

Her breathing was growing steadily shallower, and it didn't take a doctor to know that she was not going to last much longer. She was dying. And yet… as she lay on the woven mat, she looked so at peace with what had happened- how it had ended, and Tai couldn't help but think- if it had been any of his other friends under that hood, would he have jumped to conclusions?

Kneeling down beside his sister, he whispered, " I'm sorry, Pell, for everything. I.. I forgive you." And he felt as if he had been lightened by a thousand pounds. Joe nooded, and sank to his own knees, saying just as quietly, "We wouldn't have made it out without your help. I don't blame you."

Sora bowed her head. "Thank you for your sacrifice, I forgive your part in this- the worry you caused…"

Izzy swiped a hand across his eyes. "I'll miss your discussions... and I'm sorry for ever not including you. Rest in peace."

Mimi didn't say anything at first, but then stopped weeping long enough to whisper, "I won't forget you, Pella- I don't blame you at all- I'm sorry for ever thinking otherwise." Her eyes shone with sincerity and tears in the darkness

"I hated you. I blamed you for their deaths- but they survived. Even though you acted… I have no reason to be angry with you...good bye, Pell." Matt turned away, suddenly ashamed, and unwilling to watch the girl who had been a great friend slip away.

"Rest in peace- I'm sorry I never saw what you felt. Thank you for giving your life for Kari and me- I won't forget, ever. I promise." T.K.'s eyes were still filled with unshed tears.

Kari took one of Pella's cold hands in her own. "Pella, you were one of my best friends. Pella, please, can you hear me? I don't want you to die thinking we hate you! We don't. you gave up everything for us, please hear this- we'll miss you, Pell. I know you were willing to accept what happened because of this, but Pella…" Kari trailed of as she realized that the girl wasn't breathing. Pella was gone.

"No! Pell, we forgive you! Listen to me! WE FORGIVE YOU!" Kari screamed into the blackness, willing her message to be heard with every fiber of her body. Pella could not die thinking that they all hated her, she couldn't!

There was no sound of bells or harps, no flash of light, no glorious surge of power. But as the words left Kari's lips- as her words were echoed in the hearts of all present, something happened. Pella's chest began to rise, shallowly at first, then slowly but surely her breaths grew deeper and deeper, until it seemed she only slept. No one could say a word, only offer praises to God or providence, for the miracle.

For the next few minutes, the group was silent, afraid to shatter the magic with noise. And slowly, they realized that Gennai was watching and beckoning. They left the room, still in shock. When Joe asked the question they all wondered, "How?" the old man only smiled. "The Prophecy has finished. And the time for you to leave is now. Goodbye, Digidestind. I will care for your friend." Before the could protest, there was the flash of light that had been long awaited, and they children fond themselves in a heap in the forest clearing they had met in… had it only been less than a week ago?

They were home. Home. It seemed a magical place. They said there good byes, and departed.

"TAI! KARI!" the two's parents shrieked upon opening the door. " Oh, my babies, your safe. What happened to you? "

All across town, similar questions were being asked by tearful parents, as the searches were called off. The children all said that they had no recollection of anything but waking up in the forest and coming home. And this was enough for the families, who were glad to have their children, or brothers, or sisters home, safe and sound. All was well.

In one house, however, there was no joy, and a man continued to pray, and wait by the phone in vain. Mr. Ellowen had lost his wife shortly before moving across the country. And now he had lost his baby girl. Each night he asked God why.

" Why, dear Lord, did you take her? both of them? Where is my Pella, my little girl? Her friends all returned, why didn't she? Why?"

That changed one night, a month later.

_One month and one day later._

Pella awoke in her own bed, and snuggled deeper into the warmth of the blankets. It had taken her nearly a month to awaken, and strange solar storms made communication between the worlds impossible. But she was awake, and strong. She had arrived home the night before, and fallen into her fathers arms, vowing never to leave him again.

Kari's phone rang. " Hello?" she asked, glancing at the clock- it was 7 AM. Far too early for sane people to be awake. When she heard the voice on the other end, she dropped the phone. "SHE'S back!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. After picking up the phone she called the Ishida's- T.K was spending the weekend with his father- and told T.K. and Matt. After hanging up, she looked down at her bedside table. Two sheets of paper lay on it. One held a copy of the prophecy- Izzy had figured out what it meant- since Pella had chosen to kill herself rather than her friends, she had been able to survive, and when the Digidestind had become at peace ( sort of) with Pella's memory, she had been able to return.. it was strange and confusing, but most miracles were, anyway.

The other was folded and crumpled- the bit of paper from inside the locket.

Kari read aloud the words.

" Lord, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the Courage to change the things I can,

and the Wisdom to k now the difference.

Lord, grant me the Wisdom to know what I must truly do

The Courage to do the deed

And the Serenity to accept the consequences. "

The prayer seemed suited perfectly to the owner of the scrap of paper. Kari put in her pocket and smiled. At last, everything was back to normal. All was well.

THE END.

HNA: ok, I know this was mostly narration after the first 'page' and my excuse? I didn't pre write it, and I felt like it sorta fit- like the end of season two was T.K. narrating. That was the end. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I don't have another project right now( I may or may not take challenges) but I wanted to thank everyone for reading, and not losing patience with me and my cliffies, and the PBB. Thank you all. Don't forget to review, and I'll hope to see you again.

With love,

HNA


End file.
